For Those That See
by gayalondiel
Summary: SG-1 stumble into a whole new world when they travel through the Gate onto Mount Caradhras and find themselves ensnared in the world of the Fellowship.
1. Prologue

_**For Those That See - Prologue**_

It was Sam's turn that day to take the first watch, but Aragorn joined him. The others fell asleep. Then the silence grew until even Sam felt it. The breathing of the sleepers could be plainly heard. The swish of the pony's tail and the occasional movements of his own feet became loud noises. Sam could hear his own joints creaking, if he stirred. Dead silence was around him, and over all hung a clear blue sky, as the Sun rode up from the East. Away in the South a dark patch appeared and grew, and drove north like flying smoke in the wind.

"What's that, Strider? It doesn't look like a cloud," said Sam in a whisper to Aragorn. He made no answer, he was gazing intently at the sky; but before long Sam could see for himself what was approaching. Flocks of birds, flying at great speed, were wheeling and circling, and traversing all the land as if searching for something; and they were steadily drawing nearer.

"Lie flat and still!" hissed Aragorn, pulling Sam down into the shade of a holly-bush; for a whole regiment of birds had broken away suddenly from the main host, and came, flying low, straight towards the ridge. Sam thought they were a kind of crow of large size. As they passed overhead, in so dense a throng that their shadow followed them darkly over the ground below, one harsh croak was heard.

A new sound pervaded Sam's hearing, one that he had never heard before. It began soft, but grew swiftly, buzzing like some great insect approaching. The birds wheeled overhead and swooped above their hiding-place again, calling to one another in coarse voices. Something appeared in the sky, approaching from the East; but what it was Sam could not say. It flew like a bird, a great eagle or a hawk, but it did not seem to be alive. It flew too straight, to stiffly, and when it came closer he could see that it did not flap, or call, or look about; it just flew on, droning ever louder. It seemed to be bird shaped in its basic form, but Sam could make out neither head nor feet.

The crows dived for it, calling in warning and wheeling about, harrying it cruelly. They crowded around it, croaking to one another in a great ugly chorus that seemed to fill the silence so that no other sound could ever make itself heard. Soon the thing, buffeted though it was by the crows, turned a wide arc in the air and flew back eastward. A few of the birds followed it, but the rest contented to let it go and resumed their searching flight.

Not until the last birds had dwindled into the distance did Aragorn stand. He moved to Gandalf's side, but the wizard had already risen and stood staring after the strange thing that had returned to the mountains. There was an unreadable look in his eyes, but when Sam turned he saw that all the Company had awoken, and from the various blends of confusion, curiosity and fear on their faces, he knew that none of them had an inkling of what the thing might be, or from whence it came.


	2. Chapter 1

_**For Those That See - Chapter One**_  
Jack O'Neill tumbled headfirst from the glimmering wormhole. Ducking and rolling, he prepared himself in the space of a split second for the harsh impact of stone steps, but landed on a surface that was much more giving, and cold. Very cold.

"Wow." Daniel stepped gracefully out of the event horizon behind him, distractedly offering Jack a hand up. "This is different." Jack grabbed the proffered hand and hauled himself up as Carter and Teal'c appeared behind Daniel. Dimly he wondered why it was always him that ended up sprawled across the floor.

Carter was frowning. "That was a quick turnaround," she agreed. "The UAV reported a pretty temperate climate, even if the air is a little thinner up here…"

"Up?" Jack frowned at her. "Up where?" By way of reply, she turned and walked to the edge of the rockface, beckoning him to follow as she disappeared round the corner. Biting back a comment about the chain of command and use of the term 'sir', he dutifully followed her, waving at Daniel and Teal'c to stay put.

A landscape that Jack could only classify as 'fairy-tale' lay before their feet. The snow was falling harder out here, where they were not sheltered by a convenient overhang, but still light enough that they could see beyond it to make out the forms of great swathes of grassland peppered with forests and, in the distance, rivers glistening in the sun that contradicted the cold creeping through his limbs. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like a Disney film world.

"We're on a mountain, sir," Carter put in unnecessarily. "The altitude is very low for the snow to have come in so quickly, but it's not impossible. The UAV showed some higher up the mountain…"

"Alright," Jack cut in before she could start on the technicalities of why it might be snowing here now. "We're not geared up for this kind of weather, but once we've verified the MALP and DHD, we'll head on down and take a look around. It doesn't like the snow lasts far beyond here."

"Yes, sir," Carter said in agreement. "At a guess, it probably stops pretty close beyond that drift, or maybe a little further on. We should keep an eye out for big black birds, though - the ones that attacked the UAV seemed pretty vicious."

Jack nodded smartly and turned back to the Stargate, where Teal'c was digging the MALP free of the thick blanket of snow that had fallen over it, and Daniel was performing similar excavations on the DHD. Jack stopped to help the tall Jaffa as he methodically examined the unit, checking for damage, and he barely registered Daniel calling Carter over. It was only when the archaeologist called his name in sharper, more anxious tones, that he paid them any real attention. Carter was frowning and jabbing at symbols that stubbornly refused to light up, and Daniel was beside her, bobbing up and down on the balls of his feet nervously.

"Why don't I like the look of this?" Jack asked as he made his way over to them.

"Because it's not good," replied Carter vaguely as she continued to press symbols fruitlessly. A moment later she caught up with herself and straightened up to face her CO. "The DHD is, well, it isn't working, sir."

"Meaning?" Jack knew very well what that meant, but he allowed himself the hope that his two hyper-intelligent scientists might somehow have already worked out the solution, or have spotted something that he had missed. It wouldn't have surprised him. Next to him, though, Daniel shifted his weight from foot to foot and glared down at the DHD for a moment before answering him.

"It means we're stuck here, Jack."

~~~

The Company gathered together as close to the cliff as they could. It faced southwards, and near the bottom it leaned out a little, so they hoped it would give them some protection from the northerly wind and from the falling stones. But eddying blasts swirled round them from every side, and the snow flowed down in ever denser clouds.

Frodo's face, half-hidden against Sam's shoulder, was lined in thought. He absently stroked the tousled head resting upon his own chest, wondering how Pippin was able to sleep through the squall. He was tired as well, but the howling of the wind and the thoughts running through his mind gave him no peace or rest.

"What is it?" asked a soft voice. Frodo raised his head to meet Merry's eyes, ignoring Sam's sleepy mutter as the warm presence on his shoulder was removed.

"What is what?" he queried.

"Something's bothering you," said Merry. He grinned knowingly at Frodo, displaying the certainty that only four beings in the world could when it came to Frodo's thoughts. Four; and three of them were right here. He sighed.

"I don't know," he said quietly. "There is something, but I couldn't tell you what. I will be very glad once we got off this mountain."

"I think we all will," Merry said. Glancing down at Pippin, he ran a hand across his cheek and was troubled to find it ice-cold to the touch. Gently hitching up the younger hobbit's scarf to better cover his face, he looked back to Frodo earnestly. "The sooner we go back the better, that's for sure. But there's something else, isn't there?"

"Yes," admitted Frodo. "That… thing, the flying thing? It came from this direction. Nobody's saying anything, and I don't think anyone really knows what it is, but I'm… I don't want to meet it."

"Definitely not," agreed Merry. "But it can't be so very terrible, or Gandalf would not have brought us this way."

"I don't know that there was another way we could have gone," Frodo said unhappily. "Maybe it's not that bad, but to be honest I don't think anyone knows - even Gandalf seemed baffled by it. And if Gandalf doesn't know, then I'd rather not have the chance to find out."

"Well, it won't be bothering us in this," said Merry confidently. "Nothing could walk, let alone fly, through this storm. As soon as it calms down, we'll be starting back, so I can't imagine that we'll come up against it." His face was calm as he spoke, and no tremor in his voice belied his confidence. Only his eyes glimmered with uncertainty, and even Frodo, who knew his young cousins better than anyone, caught only the briefest hint. Gratefully, he settled his head back down on Sam's shoulder, hooking and arm around Merry and drawing him close on his other side.

A great sleepiness came over Frodo suddenly, and he felt himself sinking into a warm and hazy dream. He thought a fire was heating his toes, and out of the shadows on the other side of the hearth he heard Bilbo's voice speaking. I don't think much of your diary, he said. Snowstorms on January the twelfth: there was no need to come back to report that!

But I wanted rest and sleep, Bilbo, Frodo answered with an effort, when he felt himself shaken, and he came back painfully to wakefulness. Boromir had lifted him off the ground out of a nest of snow.

"This will be the death of the halflings, Gandalf," said Boromir. "It is useless to sit here until the snow goes over our heads. We must do something to save ourselves. What do you say to a fire?"

"You may make a fire, if you can," answered Gandalf. If there are any watchers that can endure this storm, then they can see us, fire or no."

But though they had brought wood and kindlings, it passed the skill of Elf or even Dwarf to strike a flame that would hold amid the swirling wind or catch in the wet fuel. At last Gandalf himself took a hand. Picking up a faggot he held it aloft for a moment, and then with a word of command he thrust the end of his staff into the midst of it. At once a great spout of green and blue flame sprang out, and the wood flared and sputtered.

"If there are any to see, then I at least am revealed to them," he said. "I have written Gandalf is here in signs that all can read from Rivendell to the mouths of Anduin."

~~~

"Woah!"

"What?" Daniel looked up sharply at Jack's exclamation. His jaw dropped as he saw the blaze of coloured flame, high above them on the mountain. "What was that?" he gasped.

"Someone else who can make fire in a snowstorm," replied Jack coolly, glancing back to where Teal'c was diligently heating MREs and brewing coffee over the blaze of standard-issue fuel tablets. Daniel raised his eyebrows, still looking up at the mountainside, but no more flames were forthcoming. "The storm is heavier up there, too. Could be hostiles."

"Could be friendlies," Daniel countered smoothly. "Maybe it was a distress flare…"

"Don't even think it," said Jack. "If it was, then there must be people around to see it, so they can go help. We're in a situation of our own." He glanced up as Carter muttered an oath under her breath, glaring down at the glittering array of crystals that comprised the interior of the DHD. Following his gaze, Daniel pulled himself to his feet, grabbing his flashlight.

"Need a hand, Sam?" he called.

"I need two," she replied. "And a tent, or if you could just make the snow stop…" Daniel walked over, tugging off his gloves, and took one of Sam's bare hands in his. He winced.

"Jeez, Sam, your fingers are like ice! Why aren't you wearing your gloves?" He began to rub his hands over hers in a determined effort to keep the blood flowing warm.

"I can't pick up the crystals with gloves on, they're too delicate," said Sam. Daniel threw a glance over his shoulder at Jack, who recognised the concern and rose to join them at once.

"You can't pick them up with numb hands either," Daniel chided Sam gently before turning to the colonel. "Jack, we need to get out of this snow."

"We're not going to get anything done from down there," argued Sam, glancing at Teal'c. "The MREs are nearly ready, I can just take a break to eat and then…"

"Major Carter?" Jack smoothly cut over her.

"Sir?"

"Are you going to be done within the next half hour?"

Annoyance flashed over her face. "No, sir, I'm not. I don't even know what's wrong yet." Jack nodded sharply, casting a piercing glare over her. She was shivering - and the only time he'd seen his hard-as-nails major shiver was when they were trapped in Antarctica. This was definitely getting to her. Daniel took a step back from them, clearly not wanting Sam to feel like they were teaming up on her, although they never seemed to hesitate to pull that on him. Jack watched him go for a moment, noting that he too was near transparent in the cold.

"That's what I thought," he snapped to Carter. "Teal'c, how're those MREs doing?"

"They are ready, O'Neill," he said. Jack thought he detected the note of a shiver in even the steadfast Jaffa's voice.

"Alright, that's it," he said. "We eat on our feet - we're moving out. We'll come back once the storm is over."

"But, sir…"

"No buts, Carter. I'm not risking anyone's health for the sake of a few hours. We're outta here."

She began to reply, but an ominous rumbling stopped her in her tracks. For a split second they all stood frozen in disbelief, then as one they turned and dived away from the 'gate, out of the path of the mass of rocks and snow cascading towards them and towards the relative protection of the outcrop. Jack reached it at the same instant as Teal'c, closely followed by Carter, but turning he watched in apparent slow motion as the last member of the team scrambled towards them through the knowledge that he wasn't going to make it.

"Daniel!" Jack shouted furiously. Teal'c started towards him, but Daniel had already grabbed something up and was headed back for them as fast as he could manage through the snow. He almost made it to them before the whirling debris hit. For a second Jack felt the too familiar bite of fear that they had lost him - again - but then Teal'c was reaching out and grasping him, pulling the archaeologist under the shelter with Herculean strength. Daniel's face creased with pain, and Jack vaguely noticed that his right leg was torn and bloodied.

"Dammit, Daniel…"

The avalanche passed swiftly, and soon the sky was brightening to a pale grey dawn. Leaving the sheltered area around the Stargate proved much harder than any of them had anticipated. The snow had fallen thick and heavy and lay waist-height above the ground. They had little snow gear with them, but after the requisite amount of decisions, discussions, arguments, orders, veiled retorts, and a stoic raised eyebrow from Teal'c, they were on the move. Jack and Teal'c took the lead, forcing a path through the snow, with Carter watching their six and supporting Daniel, whose leg was strapped tightly with makeshift bandages. Thankfully, there were no breaks, but it clearly caused him a lot of pain, even though he claimed to be just fine, thank you. They toiled for about twenty minutes before Jack called a halt, flapping wordlessly at Daniel for a water flask.

"We're doing well," he managed after several large gulps. "The same again, and we should be out."

"Indeed," agreed Teal'c, sipping sedately at his own water. Sam helped Daniel carefully to the ground and stretched thankfully.

"This certainly is beautiful," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen snow fall quite like this - it's amazing. If only I could get some soil samples from underneath…"

"No," said Jack flatly. "We're not hanging around for the sake of the dirt, Carter. It's beautiful to you, to us it's just knackering."

"I did offer, sir…"

"No, Carter. Just keep carrying Daniel." Jack handed the flask back and returned to shovelling snow, knowing that two pairs of blue eyes were rolling at his back, and not really caring very much. He had made it all of half a metre before there was a gasp behind him.

"Holy Hannah!"

"Jack, Teal'c, over here! Look!"

A retort relating to members of the team who had time and energy to stand there looking at the pretty scenery made its way to his lips, but died there when he followed their gaze. Far away across the field, a figure was moving, seemingly running lightly across the top of the packed snow. His movement was graceful, more so than Jack had ever seen in a human, and what small sunlight there was glistened and sparkled in streaming golden hair.

~~~

"Well, I have not brought the Sun," said Legolas. "I bear good tidings, though; there is the greatest wind-drift of all just beyond the turn, and there our Strong Men were almost buried. They despaired, until I returned and told them that the drift was little wider than a wall. And on the other side the snow suddenly grows less, while further down it is no more than a white coverlet to cool a hobbit's toes. But there are also ill tidings to be told: we are not the only company forcing a path through the snow."

At his final words, a palpable shiver ran through the Fellowship, even as Aragorn and Boromir returned to them. The hobbits huddled closer together in reassurance, and Gimli hefted his axe from its resting place in his belt.

"What company?" he growled. "Orcs, from high in the mountains? Trolls?"

"None so terrible," said Legolas lightly. "They are Men. One of there number is very curious to my sight, and they are strangely dressed; I have never seen their like. They are only four, and they progress through the snow even as we do."

"Were you seen?" asked Gandalf.

"I believe I was," said Legolas. "Even the stealthiest elf could not have hidden so high upon the flat field. Their path will intersect with ours, and we cannot retract it."

Aragorn nodded grimly. "Four, and not armed, you told us?"

"I saw neither sword nor bow," replied the Elf. "If they are armed, their weapons are hidden."

"Then this is my counsel," said Aragorn. "Boromir, Legolas and I will go to meet and confront them. We should be enough of a match for them, if it comes down to it: Legolas has the advantage of motion over all of us. Gandalf and Gimli should stay here with the hobbits, to protect Frodo should things go ill. If all is well with them, I will signal to you." Gandalf nodded his agreement and the two men turned to retrace their steps, led by Legolas, now stepping lightly through the tunnel forged through the drifts of snow.

~~~

"Oh for crying out loud! Teal'c!"

The Jaffa reached down and hauled his CO upright from his position sprawling in the suddenly diminishing snow. The drift they had been battling through had given way suddenly to a much lower level and Jack, putting too much of his weight into snow shovelling, had fallen right through. Teal'c stepped smoothly after him, a single twitch of his eyebrow betraying his amusement.

"Why is it," snapped Jack as he brushed himself down, "always, always me that ends up on the floor. No, wait," he added hastily as his companion opened his mouth, "I don't want an answer. Carter!"

"Sir?" Sam scrambled through the gap they had forced in the drift.

"We'll do a quick recon of the area. You're with Teal'c, Daniel…"

"O'Neill!" Teal'c's voice was urgent, and three heads snapped in his direction. "There is another path forged in this drift," he explained. Jack hurried over, followed closely by the rest of the team. Teal'c was already examining the ground. "Two men," he announced. "They pushed this far from further up the mountain, then doubled back."

"That's odd," said Daniel thoughtfully. "The being we saw seemed to have no difficulty moving on top of the snow. I wonder if we're dealing with more than one species?"

"Or a couple of very fat beings?" Jack offered unhelpfully. Daniel cast him another of those caustic, why-do-I-put-up-with-you glares, and got a jaunty grin in return. "Right, so, maybe two kinds of people. Let's…"

"Sir!"

Jack was halfway through turning to Sam to ask whether he was going to be allowed to finish what he was saying once in a while, since he was commanding officer, thank you very much, when he saw what she was looking at. Reflexively, he grasped up his MP-5, noting out of the corner of his eye that Carter now grasped hers, Teal'c had hefted his staff weapon, and Daniel was at least holding his handgun, even if he was displaying all the signs of jumping out and launching into his 'We're peaceful explorers' speech.

Three figures had come into view at the end of the path, approaching them cautiously. Two were rugged, with long dark hair and beards, dressed heavily in leather and fur against the weather, and both grasped long swords warily. The third was slender, almost ethereal both in body and in movement, clad lightly in green and armed both with a longbow and a long bladed knife. They stopped a few metres away, and of the bearded men - the taller - spoke.

His voice was commanding, and the words fluid and lyrical, but they meant nothing to Jack. He raised his eyebrows at Daniel, who was concentrating so hard that Jack could almost feel the air around him thrumming.

"Well?" he asked, sotto voce. Daniel shook his head glumly.

"I have no idea," he admitted at the same volume. "It sounds almost like welsh, but it's not. It could be anything…"

"Well, you're up," said Jack, nodding him forward. Taking a deep breath, Daniel stepped a pace towards the men, lowering his gun and looking openly at them.

"Hello," he began, with little hope of being understood but determined to give it a go anyway. "We're peaceful travellers. My name is Daniel Jackson…"

"There are no travellers of peace in these dark days," replied the speaker smoothly. Daniel blinked in surprise. Behind him Jack and Sam imitated the response, and Teal'c's eyebrow arched expressively.

"I assure you, we are peaceful," said Daniel. "We're explorers, from… well, a long way away. I'm Daniel Jackson, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Major Samantha Carter, and Teal'c."

The speaker inclined his head. "I am called Strider," he replied. "With whom is your allegiance?"

"With the SGC, from Earth," Jack put in, stepping to Daniel's side, lending him support as the younger man began to sway slightly on his good leg. "Which is-" he glanced sideways at the linguist "-a long way away."

"Are you friend or foe of Mordor?" pressed Strider. "You are not orcs, that much is obvious."

"No, we're human," said Daniel, frowning as he tried to muddle through the conversation without getting on anyone's wrong side. "I'm afraid we really don't know what Mordor is, but we're here in the hope of learning about you, your culture and…"

"We're not your foes," Jack put in bluntly, pointing his MP-5 purposefully toward the ground as he did so.

"We'd really like to learn about you," Daniel continued as if he had never been interrupted.

The tall blonde turned his head slightly towards Strider and spoke softly in the lyrical language he had first used. Despite a serious poker face, Strider's eyes betrayed a flash of surprise and he looked them over before replying. Daniel was frowning again, listening for anything that he could pick up on, but their talk was only brief. Strider turned to the man on the other side, and after a couple of muttered exchanges, he turned about and strode purposefully back the way they had come. Strider returned his attention to Daniel.

"We do not believe you are allied with the Dark One," he told them.

"That's good," muttered Jack. Daniel nudged him in annoyance, wondering how they had worked that out. Interspecies trust was great, but generally when people were this wary about newcomers, they didn't suddenly swing round and decide to trust them. There must be something about them - or perhaps one of them - that they recognised, but he had no idea what that might be.

"Our companion has returned to the rest of our company," Strider continued as if he had not heard. "Let us move to lower ground, out of the snow. There we will talk."


	3. Chapter 2

_**For Those That See - Chapter Two**_

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am!"

"Dammit, Daniel! Just give me your leg and stop whinging!"

"I'm not whinging, which is precisely the point…"

Aragorn could not help but listen in amazement as the strangers bickered amongst themselves. The one called Colonel O'Neill claimed to be the leader of their company, and some of his commands were performed swiftly and skilfully, as far as he could tell without fully comprehending their dialects. Sometimes, though, the other members of the team were prone to questioning, arguing, and even bickering with him. The spokesman in particular - Daniel Jackson - was highly opinionated, and displayed no qualms in talking back, even allowing the conversation to devolve to stubborn contradiction. At present, he was consistently refusing to have his leg treated, although Aragorn's experienced eye told him that the wound was in great need of care. They were, he thought, rather like certain hobbits.

Leaving the fire to Legolas' expert ministrations, Aragorn rose and approached the bickering men, causing a sudden hush as Daniel paused in the middle of a long speech detailing the many more important things they had to look at than his leg.

"Excuse me," he said, somewhat uncomfortably. "May I assist you? I could not help but notice that you are injured."

"Oh! That's, um, that's very kind of you," said Daniel, caught off-guard. "But there's no need, I'm really fine…"

"Forgive me," said Aragorn, "but you are not. Your leg needs to be cleaned and treated, or it will continue to cause you pain, and will probably become infected."

"Exactly," said Jack triumphantly.

"I take it you're a doctor, a healer?" Daniel asked Aragorn, curiosity shining in his eyes. Apparently his thirst for knowledge was an easy distraction for him, and an idea came to Aragorn's mind.

"I am," he replied. "Many of my people are, and if you allow me to bind your leg, we will have the chance to speak of them." Judging by the look in Daniel's eyes, he was not fooled for a second, but a grin flashed across O'Neill's face.

"Great," he said. "Cultural exchange. Carter, come and show Strider how we bind wounds back on earth. Daniel, find out what you can about these people - and don't squirm."

"Jack…"

"That's an order, Daniel." O'Neill rose and gave Aragorn a look of measured appreciation before turning and walking to the fire, where Teal'c was showing Legolas some kind of small white tablets. Frowning, Aragorn watched for a second as the dark-skinned man held a burning stick to the corner of the tablet. At once it took the light and began to burn steadily with a bright flame. Legolas blinked in surprise, and immediately turned his attention to Teal'c, his curiosity evident even at this distance. To see an Elf so thoroughly surprised by something new; that was rare indeed.

Smiling to himself, Aragorn drew his attention back to the task at hand. Major Carter, a tall, beautiful woman with short hair that Aragorn had rarely seen on a man, let alone a woman, had unrolled a cloth on the ground and had placed several items on it. Seeing Aragorn's curious look, she smiled and beckoned him to sit beside her. Together they began to peel back the wrappings on Daniel's leg.

"Strider, might I ask you something?" Daniel's curiosity appeared undimmed, and Aragorn noticed that Carter was carefully hiding a grin as she worked.

"By all means," he replied carefully.

"You're… forgive me, but you're human, right?"

"I am." Aragorn frowned as they peeled the final bandage from Daniel's leg. He was badly wounded; much of the flesh was torn and there were already signs of infection creeping in. Instinct told him that some of the tissue would have to be cut away. Carter was frowning unhappily, and a glance between the two told him that she shared his appraisal.

"Your companion, though," Daniel continued, oblivious of their discomfort. "He's, well, there's something different about him, isn't there?"

"Legolas?" Aragorn realised belatedly that he had never told the strangers his name. "He is of the Silvan kindred of Mirkwood." He frowned as confusion washed over both Daniel and Carter's faces. Apparently they were from far away indeed - but that could not be so, if what Legolas had told him was true. "Legolas is an Elf," he clarified.

Daniel sat bolt upright, looking thunderstruck. "An Elf?" he repeated. "That's a term we have on earth, but it refers to mythical beings, little creatures that live in the woods and have magical powers. I mean, to you, how is an Elf different from a… oh, hell." The sudden rush of words faltered as he caught sight of his leg. "Owch," he said, finally.

"Yes," agreed Carter. "Lie down and be quiet, just for a minute." Resigned, Daniel complied, only his eyes betraying the myriad questions still waiting to be asked.

"Major Carter," began Aragorn.

"Sam," she replied. Aragorn started at the non sequitur.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Call me Sam," she said distractedly, sorting through the packages on the ground before her. For what felt like the hundredth time that day, surprise rippled through Aragorn, but he pushed it back to join the many questions he would have time for after they had tended to Daniel.

"Sam," he said obediently, lowering his voice. "I fear we may have to remove some of the flesh from around the wound, unless you have medicines that will remove the infection?" A note of hope sounded in his words, but Sam shook her head in resignation.

"Afraid not," she replied. "I just hope we have… here!" Triumphantly, she grasped up a small vial that seemed to be tipped by a metal spike, containing a pale liquid. Daniel's already pale face blanched yet further.

"Sam," he said in a carefully controlled voice, "is that…"

"Morphine."

"No way."

"Excuse me?" her jaw dropped. "Daniel, we have to do this, unless you want to wait and Janet can take your whole leg off when we get back."

"I know, that's not what I mean. I don't want the morphine."

"Daniel, don't be ridiculous."

"Sam, I'm not! We just made first contact, how am I supposed to do my job drugged up to my eyeballs?"

"Daniel…"

"What is morphine?" asked Aragorn, carefully pronouncing the foreign syllables.

"It's a drug," said Sam. "It will stop him from feeling the pain."

"By knocking me out!" Daniel interjected angrily.

"Is that not dangerous?" asked Aragorn, thinking of the many anaesthetic concoctions that Elrond had taught him never to use except under direst need.

"A hundred years ago, yes," replied Sam. "Our medicine has advanced sufficiently that we can refine our medicines and find safe dosages for dangerous compounds. With the right knowledge, it's perfectly safe."

"How's it going, kids?" asked O'Neill, walking over to them. Behind him he left Legolas and Teal'c speaking quietly over the now blazing fire.

"We need to do some work on Daniel's leg, sir. It's going to hurt," said Carter swiftly. "But…"

"Jack, tell her I don't need the morphine." Aragorn thought that Daniel was reaching considerably in expecting the Colonel to take his side immediately.

"Daniel," O'Neill's tone was chiding. "Now is not the time for bravado…"

"No, now is the time you need your linguistic and cultural expert," Daniel snapped with unexpected force. "Jack, I can't do my job if I'm unconscious. I will be fine." For a long moment the two men faced off silently, angry brown eyes duelling with freezing blue, until O'Neill backed down.

"Do it without the morphine, Major," he said.

"Sir! You can't be serious…"

"Major Carter, Daniel's right, and you know how much I hate to admit that. We need him to talk to the locals." He flashed a glance at Aragorn as he spoke. "Do it without the morphine."

"It's going to hurt, sir," she said in resignation.

"I figured as much." O'Neill settled himself cross-legged beside Daniel's head, and reached for one of his hands. "I'll sit it out with him. Okay, Dannyboy?"

"Thanks, Jack." Daniel managed a slight grin despite the nerves that seemed suddenly to be fighting for control of his face. Sam unwrapped a small, delicate blade, making uncomfortable noises to herself as she did so, and took several deep breaths.

"Okay…" she said in warning, leaning over the wound. Three times she reached to make a cut, and three times she flinched and drew back. Finally she looked up again, unhappiness written all over her face.

"Carter? You alright?" O'Neill regarded her with concern.

"Yes, sir," she replied, belied by her trembling voice. "I'm just… I don't know if I can do this, sir." Aragorn sympathised with the woman's plight. Surgery under any circumstance was difficult, but if she was used to being able to mask the pain, then working on someone who was by choice feeling every scratch, every cut, was nigh impossible. After a moment's indecision, he held out a steady hand.

"I will do it, Sam," he offered. She met his eyes gratefully before turning a pleading gaze on O'Neill. He seemed about to retort, but looking between her and the identical look Daniel was offering, he capitulated with a sharp nod. Aragorn gently took the blade from Sam with steady hands, and shifted until he was best positioned over the wound, summoning all his experience to mind as he prepared to treat the trusting stranger.

~~~

Getting beyond the great drift was slow going. Boromir was only one, and for a time it seemed that he would have to make four return journeys to ferry the hobbits out of the snow. Even after Gandalf relented, announcing that he would carry Frodo, and only Frodo, since he was the only hobbit he trusted in such close proximity to his staff, and Sam somehow coaxed enough energy out of poor Bill to carry another, it was still slow going. Gimli led the party, clutching his axe grimly and labouring under the burdens he carried. Behind him were Gandalf and Frodo, followed closely by Sam upon the pony, and in the rear came Boromir, defying his own weariness by carrying both Merry and Pippin, one held tightly in each arm.

Steps away from the drift, Gandalf halted suddenly, and Sam, who had been quietly slumbering as he rode, was jolted awake as Bill stopped to avoid walking into him. Frodo had tensed suddenly in the wizard's arms, and now regarded him with wary eyes.

"I suppose we cannot go back now?" he asked quietly.

"Go back?" asked Gandalf, concern peering out from beneath heavy brows. "Back where, Frodo?"

"Back… away from these people," Frodo explained. "I am not sure that I wish to meet with strangers, although I would dearly love to find friendly faces. How do we know that they are not the enemy?"

"Aragorn was certain that they are not," Boromir said from Bill's other side. "I do not know why, save that it was Legolas' word that convinced him. It is a question of trust - are we certain of their instincts?"

"Gandalf?" Frodo looked once more to his counsellor and guide, but the gaze he found there held no answers.

"The decision is yours, Frodo," he said, "I cannot choose for you."

"But how do I know?" asked Frodo unhappily.

"What does your heart tell you?" Gandalf replied kindly. "Do you trust in Aragorn and Legolas?"

"Yes, of course," answered Frodo at once. "But may they not be mistaken, as all are, sometimes?"

"Indeed they may," said Gandalf. "But there is more to you, Frodo, than meets the eye. Follow your heart, trust it, and all will be well. The decision is yours." Frodo sighed, closing his eyes and longing for a fire and time to sit and think. But there was no time, and the fire was around the corner, where the strangers awaited them with Aragorn and Legolas. Frodo thought anxiously of his friends, longing to trust them but fearing that they had made a mistake. He thought of the thing that had flown overhead in Hollin, and wondered if these were not connected to it somehow. He thought of Aragorn, and his instinctive trust in the man who had saved his life; who had saved all of their lives. He remembered that evening in Bree, when through all the fear and caution he had felt a warmth in his heart telling him to go with Strider.

Frodo opened his eyes, recognising that the same warmth had once more taken up residence in his heart. Follow your instincts, Gandalf had told him.

"We go on," he said simply. Gandalf nodded, and Gimli huffed slightly as he covered the last few steps around the drift. Gandalf followed, bending to set Frodo on the ground, and not until he was straightening up and brushing himself off did Frodo raise his eyes to take in the six figures grouped around a welcoming fire just beyond the edge of the snow.

~~~

Excruciating pain shot through Daniel's leg, and he gritted his teeth, swore an Abydonian oath that Skaara had taught him and that Sha'uri would have kicked him out of the tent for knowing, and reaffirmed his vow that he was not, under any circumstances, hold Jack's hand even though the offer had been made.

"Are you done yet?" he ground out.

"One cut remains, that is all," said Strider reassuringly. Daniel moaned softly, and Jack's face appeared above him, looking nauseatingly cheerful.

"Hey, you chose it this way," he pointed out. Daniel could only grunt. He knew very well that he had chosen this, and he knew it was necessary. On top of that, he recognised that both Jack and Sam saw the need for him to stay lucid, or they would never have agreed to it either. And he knew that they knew it, and they knew he knew that; but all that knowing didn't make the pain any less real.

The pain flared again, momentarily setting off bright lights between his tightly shut eyelids, and then blissfully cool pads were being applied, with a slight sting that paled immeasurably in comparison to the pain he had just been through, leaving only a sensation of deep relief in his leg. Hands were lifted his leg, binding it, and then of a sudden it was wrapped warm and tight, and Aragorn was sitting back with a relieved smile. Jack got to his feet and crouched next to Daniel with a wince, and he suddenly realised that the past few minutes had to have been hell on the elder man's knees. Mind you, his knee hadn't been particularly happy, either…

"How's it feel?" Jack's normally upbeat voice was tinged with that hint that it only took on when one of his team was damaged. Daniel forced a grin, pushing himself up to sitting.

"Good. Better. Thank you." He turned to Strider, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," replied the bearded man with a smile. "If you are well enough, my companions will soon be here, and we will have a chance to talk - of many things."

"Great! That's great," Daniel enthused, glancing at Jack, who grinned knowingly at him before looping an arm around his back. He then pulled the archaeologist's arm over his own shoulders and stood, pausing a moment to let Daniel balance before starting over to the fire, taking the bulk of his weight. It was not far, but by the time he set Daniel back down, this time on the bedroll that Carter had laid out, he could feel him shaking from the pain of having to move his leg. Not that Daniel would ever have said anything to admit his discomfort. He simply looked up at Jack with hope shining in his eyes.

"Coffee?" he enquired. Jack shook his head.

"Carter's on it," he said, wondering yet again if all academics were driven by caffeine quite as much as his archaeologist was.

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c was looking down at him too. "I am pleased to see you looking well.

"Well-ish, anyway, Teal'c," said Daniel cheerfully. "Have you found out anything about these people yet?"

"I have learned much," replied the Jaffa, seating himself beside his young friend. "Several races share this world, and of those some are allied against one of the lords, who lives in a place named Mordor."

"That's the faction they asked us about, isn't it?" asked Daniel, instantly forgetting the pain in his leg as his mind shifted into gear.

"That is correct. These people are among those allied against Mordor."

"And one of them is an… elf? Whatever it is to be an elf?"

"Indeed. Among their company there is also a dwarf, and several beings called hobbits."

"Hobbits?" Daniel frowned.

"Mean something to you?" asked Jack, pressing a hot cup of coffee into his hands. Daniel sipped it gratefully.

"Not a thing," he admitted.

"Ah, well. Guess you'll have to ask them. They'll be here in a minute."

"What?" Daniel looked up sharply, finally seeing what the others around the fire had already noticed. Seven figures were approaching them; one was the man they had seen before, another was elderly even by Jaffa standards, dressed as if he were Merlin, or perhaps Albus Dumbledore; and five were shorter than any beings he had ever encountered.

"Teal'c, help me up," he demanded.

"Daniel…" Jack began to reprove him, but Daniel was already on his feet facing the newcomers, Teal'c on one side keeping a firm grip on him, and Strider on the other, preparing to welcome the rest of his company. He supposed it wasn't too bad; there was a time when Daniel would have insisted that he was fine to stand unaided, and gone on insisting it until he passed out from the pain. Beckoning Carter to follow him, Jack turned and joined the party waiting for the newcomers, his solid steps mirrored by the graceful paces of the elf.

~~~

Frodo could barely stop himself from staring. When Legolas had said 'Men', he had assumed Men like those they had met in Bree. These were not at all what he had expected. One only came close, the one with silver hair and a rugged build, and even he bore a wholesome air, much like the Ranger they had met in the Prancing Pony: nobility disguised behind weatherworn looks.

Aragorn was introducing the strangers; this one was called O'Neill, and apparently the leader of their company. Frodo found himself almost trusting him already, even though there was no reason for it. The next was called Carter, and was not a man at all, but a woman - tall, fair and beautiful, but in a hardened way that Frodo had never seen. She called herself Sam, too: that could become difficult. The third, Teal'c; well, there were no words to describe him. In form he was like a man, but he was dark - not tanned by the sun, but dark so that his skin almost shone blue in the cold light - and easily the biggest Man that any of the hobbits had ever seen. Taller even than Aragorn, and half as broad again across the shoulders, Frodo had never before seen one who fitted the term 'formidable' so perfectly.

Despite all this, it was the last, Daniel Jackson, who amazed him more than anything. He seemed normal enough, of a slimmer build than the others, but there was an air about his that caught Frodo's attention and called him to look deeper. After a moment's regard, Frodo realised that there was something different about this one, but it was not something new to him. He had seen it before, in Gandalf, Elrond, to a lesser degree Legolas, even Aragorn on occasion, although he had never yet found the courage to voice it. He had seen it most clearly in Glorfindel, a shining light through the darkness that had engulfed him by the Ford. Gandalf had called it the Light of Aman.

Frodo did not know what that was, but he knew that was why Legolas had championed the strangers, why Aragorn had trusted them. Despite his insistence that they were from far away, Daniel Jackson shone with the Light of Aman. There was something very special indeed about this Man.


	4. Chapter 3

_**For Those That See - Chapter Three**_

Jack rubbed his forehead, trying to stave off the burgeoning headache that this planet was giving him. Daniel was doing his best to condense the twisted and confused strands of conversation into a few sentences for him, and he really should be paying more attention, but his brain seemed to have given up and packed in for the day, even though the sun was only just reaching midday. That was the problem with 'gate travel: instant jet lag. Or 'gate lag.

As far as they could make out, there were four distinct races among the group of natives who were sat a little way away, probably trying to decide whether SG-1 were who they claimed to be, or were in fact a clever ploy of this enemy of theirs. The Men were definitely just that - humans probably transplanted from Earth way, way back into the past. The other three, Elves, Dwarves and Hobbits, were more intriguing, and Daniel was busy speculating about them right now. Apparently, since the Elves were the 'eldest' race, they were probably the indigenous species of the planet, probably adopting a name from Earth folklore. European, if one wanted to be precise, although the European description of Elves was probably better applied to the hobbits, for whom Daniel had no theory right now, but no doubt one was busy concocting in the back of his minds. And as for the Dwarves, Daniel suggested that they too had been given the name from the human settlers here, based in their folklore. This was, of course, very fascinating.

"All right," he cut in when his brain could take no more, "four races, which may or may not stem from earth. What about these other guys? Is there a threat here?"

"You mean the orcs?" Daniel shook his head. "I have no idea, Jack. They don't sound like good news, but if these people are at war with them…"

"They aren't going to be impartial about them. Of course." Jack pulled a disgruntled face. "Any other thoughts, people?"

"What about this Dark Lord?" asked Carter. "I don't want to jump the gun or anything, but from what little they've told us…"

"He may be Goa'uld," Teal'c completed her sentence in agreement. "We should find out all we can about him."

"Right," Jack nodded. "They didn't give us a name, did they?"

"No, they seemed afraid to say it," said Daniel, "which would fit in with the whole 'god' image." He lapsed into silence with a frown, the familiar anger at the Goa'uld settling in the back of his eyes.

"Any other thoughts?" Jack pressed. "What about the Stargate?"

"Realistically sir, I don't think there's anything we can do about it until the snow has receded," Carter admitted. "At the very least, we'll need all hands to dig it up, and we can't even think about that until Daniel's had time to heal."

"What about when it gets to check-in time?" Jack glanced at his watch. "That's in six hours: when they dial the 'gate, won't it eliminate all the rocks in the path of the wave?"

"More than likely, more will just fall in on it," replied Sam. "We might get a radio signal through, if we're lucky, but I don't think we'll be able to access it for several days. And then there's the matter of powering it: I severely doubt that the DHD survived the avalanche."

"Great. Wonderful. Start thinking of alternatives, kids." With a resigned sigh, Jack got to his feet and reached down to help Daniel up. They made their way back to the native group, who quickly stopped talking as they neared.

"Come, join us," said Merlin, whose real name was Gandalf the Grey. Jack had had to bite back a comment on that when they were introduced, particularly as, in his opinion anyway, the man's hat was blue, and rather comical. Of course, they had seen things far worse in their travels. He helped Daniel to the ground first, fussing just enough to appease his sense of responsibility, but not quite enough to irritate Daniel, and then settled next to him. Looking around, he saw a familiar curious look in all of the natives' eyes. Some, particularly the men, hid it well, but the four hobbits were unguarded and artless in their inquisitiveness. Jack could not help but be reminded of a certain archaeologist as he watched the blue eyes of the eldest roaming the group.

"You wish to learn of us and our ways?" the elderly man asked, looking at SG-1 with piercing eyes. "We in turn would wish to learn of you, but our quest is perilous and our need of haste is great. We can give you this night, but with the morning we must depart."

"That's very kind of you," replied Daniel. "We're more than willing to tell you about our culture, and perhaps we can be of help to you. I take it you still need to cross this mountain?" He glanced at Jack for confirmation as he spoke, and received an approving nod. So far, so good.

"I do not believe we can," replied Gandalf grimly. "There is another way that we might take, although our company is yet to decide whether we chance it, for it is perilous indeed. But the only other path leads us close to our enemy, and that risk we cannot take."

"You'd be going past this Dark Lord?" Daniel pressed, eager for information. Gandalf's impossibly bushy eyebrows rose to brush the rim of his hat.

"No," he replied, "but Saruman the White is a danger to us; he too commands many legions of orcs, and is a wizard of great power and wrath." Daniel frowned, wondering if there was any possibility that two Goa'uld were vying for the rule of this world, but Jack had to force himself not to roll his eyes as another ridiculous comic book name was revealed.

"What is the danger of the path you seek?" asked Teal'c suddenly, startling the group as he broke his long silence.

"It is an evil road," replied Strider, or Aragorn, or whatever they were calling him now. "The mines of Moria are ruined, and dark, and a great malice sleeps there. I do not seek it." A brooding silence fell, and Jack was shocked to see deep shades marring the faces of the native company, especially the haunted face of the hobbit, Frodo. Too suddenly wrenched from innocence into grim anguish: he recalled the shadows under Daniel's eyes, that first night back from Abydos, when he had been left alone to brood upon Sha'uri's loss.

"They don't know what to do with me," he'd said sadly, "and I don't know what to do with myself." Jack remembered the helplessness he'd felt then, and was startled to find it in his heart once more as he watched Frodo.

"Moria?" asked Daniel quietly. Apparently his curiosity wasn't about to wait for the uncomfortable moment to pass. Gimli lifted up his head, and in his eyes was a smouldering fire.

"The halls of Durin," he said grimly. "The Dwarven realm of old, Khazad-dum, Dwarrowdelf. There we delved long, and we grew many and strong, and great riches were ours before the dark days, before the fall."

"Khazad-dum?" Recognition sparked in Daniel's eyes, and the familiar crease in his brow deepened as he searched his mind. "Can you write that down?" He passed a notepad and pen to Gimli, who looked at the biro with intrigue before jotting down a few spiky figures. Running his eyes over them, Daniel's jaw dropped.

"What?" asked Jack, unwilling to wait for the archaeologist to remember that the rest of them couldn't actually hear the rushing stream of thoughts that he could. Daniel looked up at him, eyes shining.

"Jack, it's Asgard," he said in excitement.

"What? You're kidding?"

"No, it is. If…" Daniel paused, pinching the bridge of his nose, and turned to Gimli. "You say your people lived in Khazad-dum, yes?"

"For myriad years, yes," replied the dwarf proudly. "Until the forces of Sauron drove us from our rightful home, curse them!"

"Right," Daniel nodded and turned back to his CO. "Jack, I know I'm reaching, but if the Asgard did teach them to write, then chances are they fostered their culture. If so, there's a good chance we'll find some Asgard technology in their ancient home that may help us, eve a means of contacting them."

"You're right, Daniel."

"Excuse me?"

"You are reaching."

Daniel sighed. "It's not so very far-fetched. We've seen it before, after all; like Cimmeria. You asked for options, well this has a chance, if a remote one. What else are we going to do?"

"Excuse me?" Carter leant towards Gimli. "Can you tell us what was mined in… um, Khazad-dum?"

"The wealth of Moria was in mithril," replied the dwarf. "It was in great abundance upon a time."

"I'm sorry, mithril?"

"Moria-silver, or true-silver," said Gandalf. "There alone in the world was it found. The Elves call it mithril; the Dwarves have a name which they do not tell. Its worth was ten times that of gold, for it could be beaten like copper, and polished like glass; and the Dwarves could make of it a metal, light and yet harder than tempered steel. Bilbo had a corslet of mithril-rings that Thorin gave him. I wonder what has become of it?" For a moment Jack wondered at yet more names that were being thrown at him, and thought that perhaps he had missed some vital information earlier, until he noticed that Daniel looked as blank as he at the name, but the hobbits were listening raptly. Evidently they were learning this for the first time, too. From the sound of the name he guessed that Bilbo was another hobbit, and Daniel could probably confirm that, but Jack didn't feel like giving him the satisfaction right now.

He leant towards Carter, and spoke underneath a startled exclamation from Gimli. "Any of that mean anything to you, major?"

"I think so," she replied. "It sounds like trinium, or at least something very similar. We really should get a look at those mines, sir; the Pentagon is crying out for trinium as well as naquadah. With luck we could negotiate a trade agreement with these people."

Jack nodded. "Right, it looks like we're headed for Daniel's mines for now. Keep thinking about the 'gate though, folks - I want alternatives."

~~~

The two companies talked for several hours, until dusk had well and truly fallen and they huddled close around the fire to keep out the chill of the night. The sky was clear and dotted with bright stars, but the darkness grew evermore complete around them. Boromir prowled the edge of the camp together with Teal'c, who clutched a heavy black weapon that even Aragorn and Gandalf had not recognised. The hobbits were huddled close for warmth, and all the Company were well-wrapped in their cloaks, and the strangers in turn had pulled on heavy black jackets that seemed to insulate them well. Legolas himself bore no shield against the biting wind, but he drew close to the fire with the rest, delighting in the dance of the bright flames even as his mind cried caution against watching eyes.

For the moment, though, the eyes that watched him bore no malice, only curiosity. The Elf looked up into the gaze of bright blue eyes that housed a keen spirit, innocent and yet bearing the marks of sore trials, weathered but not broken, strengthened rather into a flaming diamond of truth and light, for those who had eyes to see. Legolas smiled.

Daniel smiled back, nervously. "Forgive me," he said, "but I'd like to ask you, um… what exactly makes an Elf different? Obviously, there's something about you that's - oh, I don't know, special - but I can't put a name to it, and…"

Legolas smiled at the rambling question. "I do not know how to speak it," he confessed. "I think you know, although you do not have the words, for you see even as your friends do not. But I will try. The first kindred lived here before the coming of Dwarves, or Men, halflings, or the great Istari." He bowed his head reverentially to Gandalf. "Life has a different meaning for us, I believe; the passing of time is at once swifter and slower than it is for you. But our time is fading, and soon we will leave for our home across the sea, leaving this land for mortal Men to govern."

"Mortal?" Daniel's jaw dropped, and O'Neill's eyebrows climbed high enough to merge with his silver hair.

"Are you saying that you're immortal?" he demanded.

"Yes," Legolas inclined his head in affirmation.

"As in, can't be killed?"

"I may be slain in battle," replied Legolas, "but I will not pass through age, or illness, save that my people have left mortal realms through great grief. But our fëar pass to the waiting halls of Mandos across the Great Sea, where all Elves will come in time. Death is not to us as it is to you, and already I have lived thousands of the years of Men."

"Wow," said Jack, clearly struggling for words. "You look great," he offered lamely.

"Thank you," said Legolas, smiling.

"Sorry," said Daniel, "but what did you mean when you said that I understand, and my friends don't? How…?" he trailed off, clearly at a loss for words.

"You are different," said Legolas simply. "You shine with the light of Aman; surely you know this?"

"Um… no?" Confusion creased Daniel's face. Frodo looked up sharply, and Legolas wondered if perhaps this young one, so similar to the archaeologist, might be better able to make him understand.

"You are different," he said. "I don't understand what it is, but there's a light in you, like there is in the Elves. Mortals – people like us, your friends, my cousins – we can't see it, but it's there, and I think… it's the feeling you get about Elves, but you see it. Some have it strongly, like Glorfindel, and some more subtly, like Legolas, and you…"

And yourself, dear hobbit Legolas thought, catching Gandalf's eye.

"… but it's there just the same. It shows what's within, and that's how we knew how to trust you."

Jack realised belatedly that his jaw was hanging open as he listened to the longest speech any of the hobbits had given them yet. He wasn't the only one, though: a hush had fallen over the camp as Frodo spoke. Of course Daniel was special, no one knew that better than he. How many times now had the man sacrificed himself for his teammates? How many times had he nearly died, or actually died, come to that? Underneath the geeky and innocent exterior blazed a heart of white fire that outweighed even his astounding intellect in worth, filling the civilian with courage and determination that Jack had never seen matched in the most highly commended of officers, and hand in hand with that, an unbreakable sense of right and wrong.

In fact, even when Daniel was dead, ascended, whatever, he had been watching over them, stretching the rules as far as he could to look out for his friends – his family. And at the bitter end, he had given up yet again everything he had gained to help his friends. Knowing that there would be retribution, but not knowing what it would be, Daniel had sacrificed himself. Again. Thank god they'd sent him back.

"Hey!" A flash of inspiration hit suddenly and Jack gave a shout of surprise. All eyes turned to him in question. "Sorry," he said. "Tell me again, you can see a light around these… special people, right?"

"Yes," replied Frodo. "From within, it's like an aura or something…" Jack couldn't stop himself from grinning as he looked over his teammates, noting from the frowns on both Carter and Daniel's faces that neither of them had got there before him. How often did that happen?

"What, Jack?" asked Daniel impatiently.

"Daniel, when you were ascended…" Jack fumbled a little over the word, as he always did, "… when we saw you, you were… kinda glowy. It sounds like the same thing…"

Carter's face had cleared suddenly, and she was nodding along with him. "You're right, sir, it does, and it would certainly explain why it's only you that's different, Daniel." She turned to the natives, who were listening in interest although it was clear than none of them really understood what they were talking about, unless it was the old wizard, whose expression Jack could not read. Not that understanding was a problem, of course - none of them really understood this ascension thing at all, and the only one with a chance of explaining it had conveniently had his memory wiped upon descending.

Carter was talking again, asking the natives what 'Aman' referred to, but a shout from Teal'c cut across her question and as one, SG1 stiffened up. That was not Teal'c's happy voice.

"O'Neill!" he called urgently. "Something approaches!"

"What?" As one, the entire company leapt to their feet, all instinctively clutching at their weapons with the exception of the hobbits and Daniel, whose good hand fell to his sidearm but did not draw it. Before Teal'c could answer, a howling began in the distance and was picked up, echoed and carried by the voices of many wolves, coming from every direction. They were surrounded.


	5. Chapter 4

_**For Those That See - Chapter Four**_

Gandalf rose swiftly to his feet. "It is as I said!" he cried. "The hunt is up! Who now will wish to journey south by night with wild wolves on his trail?"

"Who indeed?" muttered Aragorn. "We have been sorely inattentive, to only note the enemy after they have gained the advantage. As soon as we break their attack, we must move for the West Gate, for where the warg howls, there also the orc prowls." He stood tall and proud, loosening his sword in his sheath. O'Neill too rose and looked sharply at him.

"We're talking wild animals, right?" he said.

"Wolves, yes," said Aragorn, "but these are fierce and have wiles beyond other creatures. These are undoubtedly in the service of the Shadow."

"Great." O'Neill grasped his MP-5, peripherally aware of the curious looks from the natives, and motioned to the rest of his team. Teal'c was already on his feet, and Carter followed suit. Daniel began to rise, awkward on his damaged leg, but O'Neill stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "What's your plan of action?" he asked Aragorn.

"We cannot make for cover," replied the taller man. "We must make our stand here. Frodo-" he looked down at the pale-faced group of hobbits, "-you must stay as close to the fire as you can, for they will be wary of it. We will protect you." Even as he spoke, the four hobbits were moving to the fire, drawing the pony with them, as close as they could coax him to the bright flames. O'Neill glanced around, frowning as he too concluded that there was nothing else for it. Not the best tactical stand he'd ever made, but they had come through odds much worse than this.

"Okay, spread out," he snapped. "I want every angle covered. Teal'c, you're with… Boromir, right? Carter, over there with Gimli, and I'll stick here with Aragorn. Daniel…" Again Daniel made to get to his feet, but O'Neill stopped him. "Daniel, I want you back here with the hobbits."

"Jack…"

"No, Daniel, listen. You're injured, and I certainly don't want you running around out there. Evidently we're protecting these guys, and I want someone with them to make sure no one gets through. That's you." He drew a zat from his pack as he spoke, and passed it to Daniel who accepted it in addition to the handgun he had already drawn. For a second they held one another's gaze, and then Daniel nodded sharply and pushed himself to a position favouring his injured leg, but giving him as much mobility as he could. Satisfied, O'Neill nodded to the other two, and they moved to join the natives who had already spread out, clutching a variety of weapons.

As if in response to their preparations, a great host of Wargs appeared around them, attacking the camp from all sides. They were mighty in stature, their coats shining silver and grey, and their open mouths showing large white teeth on a backdrop of ugly red.

"Fling fuel on the fire!" cried Gandalf to the hobbits. "Draw your blades, and stand back to back!" Sam obediently threw several faggots into the flames before drawing his sword and moved close to Frodo. In the sudden blaze they could see the glint of Aragorn and Boromir's swords, and already the bow of Legolas was singing. Suddenly a great thunderous noise startled them, and for a moment they dropped their guard in fright.

"It's all right," Daniel assured them hurridly, as even the Wargs paused momentarily in fear of the unknown noise. The great black weapon that O'Neill held was the source of the noise, and light flashed from the end of it. They saw neither blade nor arrow leave it, but before him Wargs fell as their onslaught redoubled. The sound grew, and turning Frodo saw that Carter held a similar device, and she too cut down the great wolves effortlessly. The staff Teal'c bore was different, but no less impressive: his shot great bolts of lightening that burned the Wargs and halted them in their tracks.

"Frodo!" Pippin's anguished cry recalled him to himself, and Frodo turned to see a wolf bearing down on them, passing Gimli and Carter, who were very nearly overwhelmed by the number of wolves. Anxiously he gripped his sword, but from beside him a high tone sounded, and another flash of lightening shot past him to strike the creature, spreading its fur and bringing it to a halt with a distressed howl. Another tone sounded, another blast flew by, and the beast fell silent, hitting the ground with a solid thud. Frodo turned in astonishment to see that Daniel now held a serpentine weapon that he turned on the Wargs attacking Carter and Gimli, firing with swift accuracy.

Still the Wargs came, in a seemingly endless stream. By the wavering firelight Gandalf seemed suddenly to grow: he rose up, a great menacing shape like the monument of some ancient king of stone set upon a hill. He lifted a burning branch and, striding to meet the wolves, tossed it high in the air. It flared with sudden white radiance like lightening; and his voice rolled like thunder.

"Naur an edraith ammen! Naur dan I ngaurhoth!" he cried.

There was a roar and a crackle, and the tree above him burst into a leaf and bloom of blinding flame. It blazed brilliantly, and with the bright lights of the strange weapons, the whole area seemed covered in dazzling light. The last arrow of Legolas kindled in the air as it flew, and plunged burning into the heart of the great wolf-chieftain. All others fled. Slowly the fire died until there was nothing left but falling ash and sparks, and the silence was sudden and heavy.

~~~

The journey from the camp to the overshadowed lake was long and subdued. The hobbits had initially expressed the wonder at the firearms that was shadowed in the rest of their company's eyes, but despite Carter and Daniel's best efforts at explanation, they were convinced that the devices were magic. Teal'c especially attracted their curiosity, being briefly bombarded with questions by the youngest and apparently insatiable hobbit.

"Are you a wizard?" he had asked.

"No. I am Jaffa."

"You have a staff," Pippin pressed.

"My staff weapon is a firearm," replied Teal'c. "It is Goa'uld technology, not magic."

"What does the sign on your forehead mean?" From the sound of things, Pippin had been wanting to ask that for a while.

"It is a symbol of slavery to false gods," intoned Teal'c. Pippin's eyes had grown suddenly round, and he bit down on the next question already forming on his lips. After that they had walked a long time in silence, and finally halted under a grey cliff, beside a grey and forbidding lake. There were a few snapped words and fraying tempers between the Elf and the Dwarf, but Jack focused on making sure his team were alright, trusting Daniel to pay attention to the locals even as he and Carter checked that his leg wasn't getting any worse. Shortly Gandalf began searching the cliff-face for something, and at his bidding the rest of the company began sorting their gear, apparently in preparation to enter the mines through some yet undisclosed door.

"Carter, go find out what's going on," Jack said briskly. Immediately she was on her feet and hurrying over to the wizard.

"Can I help?" she offered uncertainly. He was standing between two trees, gazing at the blank wall of the cliff. Gimli was wandering about, tapping the stone with his axe, and Legolas was pressed against the rock, as if listening.

"Dwarf-doors are not made to be seen when shut," said Gandalf. "But this was not a secret known only to Dwarves, and unless things are altogether changed, eyes that know what to look for may discover the signs." He walked to the space between the trees and began to pass his hands over the bare rockface, where the moonlight shone upon the stone. Gradually a pattern of silver filaments appeared under his fingertips, growing and spreading until the ornate form of a door decorated with several detailed devices and elaborate writing.

Sam realised belatedly that her jaw was hanging open.

"Wow," she managed. "How… where did that come from?"

"It is wrought of ithildin," replied Gandalf, "that mirrors only starlight and moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks words now long-forgotten in Middle-earth." The hobbits gave a collective gasp of appreciation, but Sam frowned.

"That's not possible," she stated in confusion. All eyes turned to her, Gandalf's enquiring, the hobbits' disbelieving, and the rest of SG-1 looked up with their usual mix of interest (mostly from Daniel) and resignation (on the part of the Colonel) as she began to explain.

"Well," she began, "why would something reflect only starlight and moonlight, but not ordinary sunlight? The sun is just a star, after all, so there's no significant difference between sunlight and starlight, except for slight variations due to red shift. Theoretically one could engineer something to respond to moonlight, because the reflection of the light polarises it, but there's little significant moonlight tonight, so I can't see that that's what's causing it. Not to mention that we're talking significantly complex voice recognition in what is essentially threads of metal in rock…" she trailed off, realising that she was completely surrounded by confused and glazed over expressions.

Daniel pushed himself to his feet with Teal'c's help, hobbling over to the door before Jack could voice an objection. "That's not necessarily how it works," he pointed out. "Just because that's their understanding of it - we've seen plenty of cultures whose beliefs about their technology are way off. It might respond to the constellations, or one particular star… It does look Asgaard, doesn't it?"

"Yes," she agreed, "it does. I don't see any sign of a power source, but knowing them that doesn't mean anything. Can you read it?"

"No, I've no idea," he admitted ruefully. "But I imagine…"

"The words are in the elven-tongue of the West of Middle-earth in the Elder Days," said Gandalf helpfully. "They say only: The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, friend, and enter."

"Really?" Daniel already had his camera out and was taping the door, again drawing curious stares. "That's a translation, right? Could you tell me how it runs in the elven-tongue?"

Legolas smiled at him, almost indulgently. "If you wish it," he said, "I will help you to copy the elven words into your own notation."

"Thank you," grinned Daniel. "That would be great… here…" Still taping the door with one hand, he fumbled in his vest pocket for a notebook and biro, which Legolas took from him and examined closely.

"Excuse me!" Jack moved to Gandalf's side. "I don't mean to put a downer on all this wonderful technical chatter…" he pointedly ignored the long-suffering glance between Carter and Daniel, "…but we were trying to get into these mines, right? Instead of standing out here, all day, all night…"

Gandalf nodded briskly. "These doors are probably governed by words," he explained. "In the days of Durin they were not secret. They usually stood open and doorwards sat here. But if they were shut, any who knew the opening word could speak it and pass in. At least it is recorded, is it not so, Gimli?"

"It is," said the dwarf. "But what the word was is not remembered."

"But do not you know the word, Gandalf?" asked Boromir in surprise.

"No!" said the wizard.

Colonel Jack O'Neill had a great reputation for his witty ripostes, or as Daniel put it, his sarcastic smart aleck jibes. His team were used to them, and even the long-suffering General Hammond would have expected a retort about now. Gandalf was an entirely different quantity, though, and with the aid of his years of experience in the forces, Black Ops training and mental disciplines and proven ability not to crack under torture, he managed to keep his comment wisely in his head.

Pippin apparently did not have that advantage. "What are you going to do?" he asked brightly.

"Knock your head against these doors Peregrin Took!" snapped Gandalf gruffly. "Or, if I am allowed a little peace and quiet, I will search for the right words."

Jack looked around. Carter was still by the wall, examining the shining metal even as Merry and the other Sam - Samwise, he reminded himself - watched her. Daniel was, thankfully, seated again and deep in quiet conversation with Legolas and Frodo, who both seemed to be speaking snatches of the strange elvish language as well as English. Teal'c was further away, standing silently with Boromir and Aragorn, with whom he had developed a strange kind of rapport. Brothers-in-arms, and warrior codes and honour and stuff, Jack supposed. Glancing back at Gandalf, he saw that the wizard had sat and was deep in thought, brows furrowed, tendrils of grey smoke weaving about him and blending him into the dull greyness of the place itself. Sighing, Jack sat down, pulling a power bar from his vest and peeling back the wrapper. This could be a long night.


	6. Chapter 5

_**For Those That See - Chapter Five**_

Again Gandalf approached the wall, and lifting up his arms he spoke in tones of command and rising wrath. Edro, edro! he cried, and struck the rock with his staff. Open, open! he shouted, and followed it with the same command in every language that had ever been spoken in the West of Middle-earth. Then he threw his staff on the ground, and sat down in silence.

A collective sigh rippled through the company. Daniel, who had raised his head with interest at the multitude of languages, frowned at the wizard for a second longer before exchanging a glance with Jack and returning his attention to his quiet conversation with Legolas and Frodo. Jack shook his head, wishing he'd counted the number of languages but pretty certain that Daniel's grand total far outstripped the wizard's, although he had to be the closest they'd ever come to someone beating him. Grinning, he added fuel to the small fire he had started, despite the warning glances of both Aragorn and Boromir. Going undetected was one thing, but having a hot drink, at the very least, was vital to morale, and he didn't feel like introducing them to an antsy Doctor Dainel "too long since my last caffeine hit" Jackson just yet.

With a sigh, Jack ran his fingers over the stony ground until he found a smooth, flat pebble. Turning it over in his hand once or twice, he faced the water and flicked the stone out to skim over the surface. It only bounced twice before disappearing with a soft slap, but where it fell there was a swish and a bubble. Great rippling rings formed on the surface out beyond on the lake. Uneasily, Jack let the second stone he had picked up drop to the ground beside him. He felt the eyes on the back of his head, and knew the younger hobbits, Merry and Pippin, were watching him again. They seemed, if possible, more curious than Carter and Daniel put together, and had unreservedly been watching the newcomers with interest.

Sam and Aragorn stood a little way away, quietly unloading Bill of his burdens. Sam was speaking to the pony in soft, sad words, and Aragorn rested a comforting hand upon his shoulder, even as he glanced across at Gandalf with concern. Teal'c was once more walking the small perimeter, ever-vigilant, and Boromir had paced for a few minutes before sitting with his back braced against the stone wall. Carter had stepped forward to study the odd metal - ithildin - when Gandalf abandoned his chanting, but soon she dropped to the ground next to him, scribbling notes in a small pad and muttering to herself as she did so.

"May I ask you a question?"

Carter looked up in surprise. Boromir was watching her carefully, his face impassive but the idea of a smile touching his grey eyes. "I think you just did," she grinned. "But go on, ask me another."

Boromir blinked, taken aback by her unorthodox response. "Thank you," he said. "I do not wish to seem rude, but is it usual for women to stand alongside men among your people? As warriors?"

"You'd be surprised how often I'm asked that," Sam replied with a smile. "It isn't unusual - in the past only men were allowed to become warriors and scholars, but in our modern society there are many women, like myself, who take on those roles. I take it that's not the case among your people?"

"Our women are not warriors, certainly," he said. "But some are scholars, and we depend upon them in many ways. They do not do the work of men, but that does not mean that their work is not highly valued. We honour our women for their minds and skills as well as for their beauty."

"That's wonderful," said Sam, not quite sure of what to say.

"You would be honoured among my people," Boromir continued hesitantly, "for you are a skilled warrior, as well as being both wise and beautiful. I have never known a woman like you before, Major Carter."

Smiling, Carter ducked her head and felt the colour rising in her cheeks. "Call me Sam," she said.

"Sam?" Boromir's lips quirked, and suddenly she recalled that one of the hobbits shared her name.

"Samantha, then," she suggested.

A sudden exclamation of understanding echoed in the otherwise quiet camp, and several heads snapped up to see Daniel look up, reading the script on the door once more with an expression of dawning comprehension. O'Neill was on his feet straightaway, hurrying to the linguist's side.

"Got something for us, Dannyboy?"

"Uh… yes. Yes, I think so." Daniel frowned for a moment, running through his thoughts one last time. His expression cleared and he turned to Jack. "I'm beginning to get the basics of the language…"

"What, already?" Jack gaped. Sure, he knew Daniel was good, the best, when it came to translation, but even he wasn't accustomed to working at anything like this speed.

"Yeah," Daniel grinned awkwardly. "I do have a couple of native speakers here telling me what it means, and… it seems almost familiar, like something I knew once and have just… misplaced. Does that make sense?"

"No."

"No, I thought not. Anyway, I think I may have something. I've identified the verb in that phrase over the door, and it seems to be an imperative form…"

"Daniel…"

"Right, sorry." Daniel skipped the rest of his explanation with the smooth air of one who was used to being cut off, and continued. "They've translated it as 'speak', but…" Abruptly, he turned to face the elderly man who sat glaring at the impassive doors. "Excuse me? Gandalf? I don't mean to presume, but is it possible… might it not read 'say friend and enter'?"

The aged wizard locked his wizened gaze with the enthusiastic doctor's, and for a moment silence rang clear throughout the camp. Then, as the dawning sun, a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth and grew, blooming into mirth that shone brightly in his face.

"Of course!" he cried. "Absurdly simple, like most riddles when you see the answer." Picking up his staff he stood before the rock and said in a clear voice: Mellon!

The star shone out briefly and faded again. Then silently a great door was outlined, though not a crack or joint had been visible before. Slowly it divided in the middle and swung outwards inch by inch, until both doors lay back against the wall, Sam and Boromir having hurriedly scrambled out of the way. Through the opening a shadowy stair could be seen climbing steeply up; but beyond the lower steps the darkness was deeper than the night. The two Companies stared in wonder.

"Melon?" asked Jack at length, raising his eyebrows.

"Mellon," Daniel corrected him patiently. "It means friend."

"What, that was it?"

"Yes," Gandalf chuckled. "Quite simple: too simple for a learned lore-master in these dark days. Those were happier times!"

He stepped forward and set his foot on the lowest step, clearly intending to go in straightaway. Jack frowned and hurried forward, but before he could voice his concern about marching straight into dark passages with who-knew-what in them without an advanced scouting party, several thing happened at once. Frodo felt something sieze him by the ankle, and he fell with a cry, the notes that he had been holding for Daniel flying out of his hands. Bill the pony gave a wild neigh of fear, and turned tail and dashed away along the lakeside into the darkness. Sam leaped after him, and then hearing Frodo's cry he ran back again, weeping and cursing. The others swung round and saw the waters of the lake seething, as if a host of snakes were swimming up from the southern end.

Out from the water a long sinuous tentacle had crawled; it was pale green and luminous and wet. Its fingered end had hold of Frodo's foot, and was dragging him into the water. Several of the company started forward, drawing blades, but with perfect accuracy Teal'c hit the tentacle with a shot from his staff weapon. The arm released Frodo and recoiled, burning and writhing. Sam grasped his master by the arms and pulled him away, crying out for help. Twenty other arms came rippling out of the boiling water, bringing with them a hideous stench. Boromir and Carter both leapt to Sam and Frodo's aid, pulling them back with strong arms.

"Into the gateway! Up the stairs! Quick!" shouted Gandalf, leaping back. O'Neill yelled in protest but the cry had roused them from the horror that had rooted most of the company to the ground where they stood, and as one they tore into the dark opening. In the split second of indecision, O'Neill saw each member of SG-1 hesitate and then shrug off the uncertainty and hurry alongside the rest of the running figures. He too ran for the doors, despite the years of military experience screaming at him not to get them cornered. He and Gandalf were the last to mount the stairs, and when they were only a few steps up, a great crashing noise came from behind them. They turned to see the many tentacles rippling around the doorway, clinging to the stone and bringing it crashing down. More fell, thundering in the close acoustic of the passage, and soon all light was blocked out. Hurridly Jack grabbed for his torch, and playing it over the entrance he saw that the entire passage was barricaded with tons of rock that they could never hope to shift.

"Great," he muttered angrily. A light flashed in his eyes, and as it hurridly lowered he managed to make out Carter's worried face in the darkness.

"Sir?" her inquiry was concerned, yet polite, giving him leeway to answer with as much or as little information as he chose. One day he was going to ask her how she managed that.

"Feel a little corralled, Major?" he asked.

"A bit," she admitted. "This does seem to be an Asgard structure, though, so…"

"It doesn't look like the Asgard have been here in years." Daniel joined them, casting his torch beam across the dark and forbidding rock that surrounded them. "And they have all sorts of stories about this place, Frodo and Legolas were telling me…" he looked back at the blocked doorway, pursing his lips.

"What?" O'Neill frowned, trying to work out his train of thought.

"Oh, nothing… my notes are all out there, Jack, that's all. I had loads written down, and it's all out there… my tapes, too, and the camcorder." He sighed heavily.

"Oh, sorry." Jack allowed him the moment, knowing what a blow it was for Daniel to lose hours of the work that he threw himself into so passionately. He began to ask if he had thought to pick his hand gun up, but bit off the question when he saw that the civilian was grasping his weapon and his torch in a perfect cross hold. There were times when he forgot that Daniel was as much a soldier as the rest of them these days. And then there were times when he bitterly regretted that it had come to that. "How's the leg?" he asked instead.

"Fine," said Daniel distractedly, apparently unaware that his stance was clearly favouring his injuries. At Jack's pointed silence, he glanced across at his CO with a small grin. "Stiff, sore, nothing terrible. It's fine."

"Right." Jack knew he wouldn't be getting any more out of Daniel - even the admission that it hurt was a concession he hadn't really expected. "Well, don't push it, okay? You need a hand, you say so."

"We must go," said Gandalf, abruptly breaking into their conversation. Looking across at the Fellowship, Jack realised that they had been holding a council of their own.

"Go where?" he asked stubbornly.

"Through the mines," replied the wizard. "The passage to the other side of the Misty Mountains is now our only choice."

"Right." Jack glanced around at the two scientists who stood waiting for him to give the word. Teal'c appeared behind them with his usual silent grace.

"I have scouted ahead, O'Neill," he said without preamble. "There is little that can be made out - there is no sign of any beings, hostile or otherwise; but it is difficult to be certain in such conditions."

"Looks like we're going on, then," Jack said in resignation. "Teal'c, you take point; I'm on six. Carter, Daniel, see what you can find out about their plans after this. We're going to have to get back to that 'gate sooner or later."

Silently they separated, four beams of light shining on the ground before them as they fell into place. Teal'c marched smoothly to the front of the company, joining Gandalf and Gimli who were conversing quietly. Daniel was soon surrounded by the hobbit, who all seemed very interested in the workings of the torch. Jack noted through the darkness that Daniel had carefully replaced his gun in his thigh holster before passing the torch to inquisitive hands. Behind him, Carter fell into step with Boromir, who inclined his head as if speaking quietly with her. Jack himself moved to the rear of the company, joinig Aragorn and Legolas who both greeted him with silent nods.

As they moved off, Jack couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding about the mines; all his instincts were screaming that this was the worst possible place to be, and he could not forget the swift and effective elimination of all their options. If he were to assess the situation, he would say that it sounded more like a trap than anything he'd encountered for a long time had. This was not good.


	7. Chapter 6

_**For Those That See - Chapter Six**_

As Gandalf passed on up the great steps, he held his staff aloft, and from its tip there came a faint radiance. Only a step behind him walked Teal'c and he too bore a device that emitted light, a light both greater and lesser than that of the wizard. It was brighter, but it shone in one direction only, casting a yellow tinted circle of brightness on the cold stone. Initially all of SG-1 had borne them, but on their commander's word all but one had been put away to "save the batteries". Frodo didn't exactly know what Jack meant by that, but he had reluctantly prised Daniel's torch from his curious cousins and handed it back to the tall man, who had smiled at him before deactivating it and tuckeing it into one of the many pockets on his waistcoat. Frodo had never seen so many pockets on a single waistcoat, but that must be the fashion where Daniel came from, for all of his team bore the same.

Frodo glanced up at the man walking by his side, his observation going unnoticed in the dim light. True, he had met few enough Men in his life, but most of them were the same; gruff and brusque, although plesant enough when you got to know them, at least for the most part. Daniel was different; curious, more open, and easier for the hobbit's minds to fathom, although Frodo suspected there was much more beneath the surface than they saw. Certainly he was brave, or stubborn, or both, for he had walked many hours now on an injured leg without complaint, doggedly continuing and hoping that no-one noticed how much it was hurting. Frodo wondered if anyone did, apart from him, and decided to call for a halt as soon as he could.

The most intriguing thing about Daniel, though, was the sense of him; the clear light that filled him completely. It was an air like that of the Eldar, and Gandalf. Aragorn had it, but in him it was less noticable, and Frodo saw it as a hue that tinted him, rather than a colour that painted him in clear terms. Daniel was somewhere between the two, closer to the light of the Eldar than any Man Frodo had encountered. He had noticed that both Legolas and Gandalf had been slipping Daniel interested glances from time to time, and wondered if he had the nerve to ask him about that, too.

For the moment Pippin had Daniel's attention and was chattering away about the Shire, their customs and traditions. Frodo knew full well that most hobbits could bore one of the Big People within a few minutes of Shire talk, and even he and Merry had been known to glaze over after a while listening to Pippin, but Daniel's expression was still bright, and he was eagerly drinking in all the information Pippin was giving him. From his other side, Merry caught Frodo's eye and grinned.

Finally finishing the abridged history of the Tooks, Pippin drew breath and looked up at Daniel. "You let me talk a lot," he stated bluntly. "You must be very interested in other people, or else very polite."

"I am interested," replied Daniel with a smile. "That's my job, I learn about other peoples and cultures, and form alliances, friendships, with them."

"Your job?" Pippin looked taken aback. "That's a funny kind of job."

"I suppose so," said Daniel, "but we're explorers, so it makes sense."

"So if you learn about people, what do Jack and Sam and Teal'c do?" asked Pippin. "Are you all family, is that why you travel together?"

"No, we're not family," Daniel chuckled. "We're just colleagues. Jack is our commander, and he and Sam are soldiers from the country we come from. Teal'c is a soldier too, but he's from, well, somewhere far away, but he lives with us now."

"Are you a soldier?" pressed Pippin.

"Not really," said Daniel. "I can fight, but I try not to. We try not to fight at all, actually, but sometimes we can't help it. But the others have all been trained to fight: I just kind of picked it up as I went along."

"Like us!" said Pippin. "We don't fight at all, Shire folk that is. But someone had to come along and help Frodo with…" he cut off suddenly at a nudge from Merry and a sharp look from Frodo, but Daniel caught their censoring gestures and gave them all an intrigued look. Merry cast about quickly for a new subject in the hope of distracting him.

"What's your world like?" he asked. Daniel frowned at the abrupt change of subject, but he seemed happy to let Frodo's secrets drop.

"Well, it's very different," he said. "What would you like to know about?"

"Tell us about your families," said Pippin on a sudden inspiration. "I told you all about ours, after all. Do you have big families in your country, like we do? You said you're not related to Jack and Sam and Teal'c."

Daniel's face clouded over. "Well, there are a lot of people where I come from," he said, "and everyone does things differently, so… I don't… Maybe you'd be better asking Jack or Sam about families."

"Why?" asked Pippin brazenly. Frodo and Merry shushed him at the same moment, but Daniel smiled at both of them openly.

"It's alright, I don't mind," he said. "Pippin, my parents died when I was very young, and I don't have any brothers or sisters, so I don't really have family the way most people do. I lived in a lot of different places when I was young, and with a lot of different people."

Pippin's jaw hung slightly open. "Different people?" he repeated. "Your aunts and uncles, or…"

"I don't have aunts and uncles," replied Daniel quietly. "My grandfather… couldn't take me, so I went to live with other children like me, and eventually they found a family who were happy to take me in. They never adopted me, though."

"How awful," breathed Frodo, years-old heat stinging suddenly in the corners of his eyes. What could possibly have been so important, so terrible, that Daniel's grandfather could not take him in? Surely nothing was a barrier to family? He thought suddenly of Bilbo, desperately grateful that his uncle had been so caring and loving to him, and his heart went out to Daniel. Frodo toyed with the idea of speaking again, but the set of the man's jaw told him that he had said what he would say, and anything more would be too much.

Finally they reached the top of the stairway, and found themselves in an arched passage with a level floor leading on into the dark.

"Let us sit and rest and have something to eat, here on the landing, since we can't find a dining-room!" said Frodo. The proposal was welcomed by all; and they sat down on the upper steps, dim figures in the gloom.

Daniel sighed in relief as he was finally able to take the weight off his injured leg. He stretched it out in front of him, wincing as a fresh ripple of pain shot through it. Hearing footsteps behind him, he schooled his features into a neutral expression just in time as Jack flopped down on the step beside him.

"How're you holding up?" he asked, his tone light but all too familiar concern evident in his eyes.

"Fine," replied Daniel, only the slightest tremor in his voice betraying his deceit. Jack raised his eyebrows, clearly not convinced, but before he could speak Carter dropped onto the step beside him, and Teal'c glided silently to Daniel's other side. Carter gave Daniel a worried look but turned to her CO and addressed him first.

"Sir," she said, "I've been able to gather more information about these people. Boromir is from a country, Gondor, quite a way south of here - he's actually a son of the ruling family - and apparently his people are at war with this Mordor country; they have been for a long time. I gather they're heading there to help the fight."

"These people?" Jack couldn't help but cast an incredulous look around their mis-matched travelling companions. "The… little people?"

"Apparently so, sir." Carter shrugged. "Boromir said that they have something that might help, although he didn't elaborate. Apparently Aragorn is someone special too, but I didn't quite follow, and he changed the subject pretty quickly."

"No idea at all?" prompted Jack.

"Boromir is a ruler of the country Gondor," said Teal'c in a quiet rumble. "Perhaps Aragorn poses a threat to him; he may not speak freely of it."

Carter shrugged. "Maybe."

"Daniel?" Jack looked back at his friend, whose attention seemed to be flagging. "Did you get anything else?"

"The hobbits told me a lot about their cultural history…" Daniel paused, "…which doesn't interest you right now…"

"If ever," agreed Jack cheerfully.

"The hobbits don't seem to know much more than us about the land south of here," said Daniel, "but they know Gandalf; apparently he's much more powerful than we've seen. And from what they haven't said, Frodo seems to have a purpose, or something, to do with this war. They're very guarded about it, though."

Jack watched as Daniel spoke, only half listening as his attention focused itself on the beads of sweat on his brow, the slightly glazed look in his eyes and the way he held his leg almost off the floor, as though even resting it on a solid surface was too painful. Realising that Daniel had stopped speaking and was looking at him with a unique combination of patience and exasperation, Jack took a deep breath and prepared himself for battle.

"Okay, Daniel, let's get that leg looked at."

"Jack, I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Daniel, and you're not fooling anyone. Carter?"

"Sam… Sam! Leave it! Jack, really, I'm fine."

"Dammit, Daniel…"

The hissed conversation broke off abruptly as a shadow fell over their group, and they looked up to see Aragorn standing with a look of polite concern on his face.

"Excuse me," he said. "I need to change the dressing on your leg."

Daniel stared up at him in dismay. "There's not much point in arguing, is there?" he asked.

"There is not," confirmed Teal'c. "You require medical attention, Daniel Jackson, and while I am not fond of the idea of restraining you, I will do so if need be."

Daniel gave him a startled look. "Um… that's fine, thank you, Teal'c." Still wearing a relucant expression, he allowed Aragorn and Sam to peel away the dressings on his leg, revealing sore red wounds beneath.

"This must have been causing you much pain," said Aragorn in a shocked voice. "Why did you not speak before?"

"It's not that bad," insisted Daniel, but he was cut off by a snort from Jack.

"He never admits it when he's hurt," he told the other man. "You have to argue it out of him, which takes a lot of effort, or wait until he falls down and yell at him when he's too tired to argue back."

"You are wounded a lot?" Aragorn asked Daniel.

"Not that much," said Daniel.

"Loads," insisted Jack. "All the time, he's a walking target. Died a few times, too."

"Died?"

"Not permanently."

"Colonel?" Carter's patience seemed to be wearing thin; there was a break in her voice and an irritated expression on her face. "Would you mind letting us treat Daniel's leg, sir?"

"Go ahead," said Jack, sitting back and grinning. It wasn't often that he liked the people they encountered through the 'gate, and even less often that he trusted them, but there was something about these people that he couldn't help but be drawn to. Not all of them; the wizard, the dwarf, and the one who seemed to have a thing for Carter left him suspicious, and the Elf was just unfathomable, but the hobbits were so open and artless that it would be a challenge not to trust them, and Aragorn… Jack was trying not to like him, but quite frankly it was more difficult the more he spoke to him. Watching him now tending Daniel, true concern in his face, made Jack realise that from somewhere the Ranger had triggered the same reaction in him that Daniel had back on the first Abydos mission. Even before he had thrown himself in front of the staff blast meant for Jack, Daniel had somehow begun the great thaw of his heart by his naive and innocent concern for everyone he encountered. Aragorn was by no means like Daniel, but there was something about him, not least the care he was showing to Jack's oldest and best friend, that meant Jack just couldn't help but like the man.


	8. Chapter 7

_**For Those That See - Chapter Seven**_

The Company had had not been resting long before Gandalf announced that it was time to be moving on. O'Neill rose in automatic objection, but a look from Daniel quelled his arguments before they were spoken. Neither Carter nor Aragorn had been happy with the state of Daniel's leg, but it was clear that little enough could be done from here, and waiting longer in the cold dark of the mines would be of little help to him. More than that, O'Neill had seen Daniel injured more times than he was willing to remember, and every time his endurance had impressed the hardened colonel beyond his expectations. So he said nothing, and they set off again, this time with him walking alongside Daniel, prepared to support him should he need it.

Sure enough, not an hour had gone by before Jack had looped Daniel's arm across his shoulders and was taking most of his weight for him. The hobbits, who had apparently attached themselves to the archaeologist as the most personable member of SG-1, were walking with them. Occasionally one of them would throw a concerned glance in his direction, but for the most part they were chattering with him and amongst themselves, talking about their families, culture, and history at great length. Jack had to give them credit for their seemingly instinctive knowledge of how to distract Daniel from his pain, even if he himself was in serious danger of slipping into a great-uncle-twice-removed induced coma.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called his name, his voice echoing in the tunnels around them. Jack winced as they drew level with him.

"D'you want to keep it down a little, T?" he said. "Last thing we want is to bring these what-d'you-call-thems…"

"Orcs," Daniel interjected.

"…down on us here in this lovely, dark tannel."

Teal'c nodded, his motion illuminated by the bobbing light of his torch. "It is orcs of which I have come to speak to you," he said gravely. "How do you fare, Daniel Jackson?"

"I'm fine, Teal'c," said Daniel. "What are you thinking?"

"I have come across several items that Gimli has identified as belonging to orcs," said Teal'c. He passed a long handled spear to Daniel, who took it one-handed and looked closely at it.

"Jack, could you give me some light here?" he asked.

"Daniel, the batteries, remember?"

"Two seconds, Jack. I think I know what Teal'c is getting at."

Raising his eyebrows, Jack pulled out his maglight, which would afford a brighter and more focused light than Teal'c's torch, and shone it awkwardly over the spear with one hand while he tried to balance Daniel's weight on his shoulders. "Hey," he said after a moment. "I've seen that before…"

"We all have," said Daniel grimly, handing it back to Teal'c. "I take it you think…"

"It is an Unas weapon," confirmed Teal'c. Jack groaned.

"Oh, this just keeps on getting better and better, doesn't it?" he said.

"It could be a good thing," said Daniel.

"How's that now?" Jack threw a confused glance at Teal'c, who looked back at him impassively. Around them, he noticed that the hobbits were listening curiously, and glancing over his shoulder he saw that Carter had picked up on their conversation and was following it, along with Boromir who still walked alongside her.

"Well," said Daniel, "if they are Unas, then I might be able to communicate with them."

"What?"

"We've pulled it off before," Daniel continued doggedly over Jack's shocked exclamation. "Remember?"

"That was a mining dispute, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c reminded him. "It is unlikely that the Unas here will be so accomadating. They are at war."

"Well, from what I've gathered, they're not at war with the orcs in here," said Daniel. "In fact, they don't even seem sure that there are orcs here; no-one's been in here for a long time. There's a lot of bad blood between them, but perhaps by sitting down and talking they might even be able to negotiate a truce."

"Daniel…"

"We've done it before, Jack, more than once. All it takes sometimes is an impartial third party."

"Forgive me," said Boromir unexpectedly, "but you are considering seeking out the orcs, and speaking with them?"

"Not actively seeking them, so much," said Daniel, "but if we come across them, it can't hurt to try…"

"You are a fool," interrupted Boromir harshly. "A fool, and you will die. They would shoot you on sight."

"Was not the presence of Chaka instrumental in your previous negotiations with the Unas?" added Teal'c. Daniel held up his free hand in surrender.

"Alright," he said tiredly. "I just thought it merited considering… at least knowing that we're up against Unas gives us an edge, right?"

"Right," agreed Jack, but he cast a sideways glance at Daniel, concerned that he was letting this go so easily. Even through the half-darkness, he could see the beads of sweat gathered on Daniel's brow, the slightly glazed look in his eyes, and he could feel him trembling under his arm.

"Teal'c," he said, "give me a hand with Daniel, will you? No arguments, you," he added, but Daniel merely nodded as Teal'c took his other arm and pulled it over his own shoulders until between them the two were supporting most of his weight. The most worrying thing, beyond the clear signs of Daniel's deterioration, was that he did not even attempt to voice an objection.

~~~

They had been going for several hours with only brief halts, when Gandalf came to his first serious check. Before him stood a wide dark arch opening into three passages: all led in the same general direction, eastwards; but the left-hand passage plunged down, while the right-hand climbed up, and the middle way seemed to run on, smooth and level but very narrow.

"I have no memory of this place at all!" said Gandalf, standing uncertainly under the arch. Grunting in frustration, Jack slid out from under Daniel's arm, the movement eliciting an involuntary whimper from the semi-conscious archaeologist. Teal'c braced himself, ready to take Daniel's full weight, but as Jack moved away Boromir stepped smoothly into his place. Teal'c nodded his thanks as Jack stepped to Gandalf's side.

"Look," said Jack in his most reasonable voice, "Why don't we call it a night? We've been going for hour, everyone's exhausted, Doctor Jackson really needs to rest, and I'm sure it'll be much easier for you to think after a good night's rest. What do you say?"

The wizard nodded sagely. "I believe you are right," he said. "We had better halt here for what is left of the night."

To the left of the great arch they found a stone door: it was half closed, but swung back easily with a gentle thrust. Beyond there seemed to lie a wide chamber cut in the rock.

"Steady! Steady!" cried Gandalf as Merry and Pippin pushed forward, glad to find a place where they could rest with at least more feeling of shelter than in the open passage. Jack motioned to Carter, and the two of them pulled out their torches and stepped in cautiously, sweeping the floor with beams of light.

"Watch yourselves!" Jack called back to the rest of them. "There's a honking great hole in the floor!"

"A well, by the looks of it," added Carter, crouching near it. "Probably covered at one point, but it looks like the closing stone is broken."

"One of you might have fallen in and still be wondering when you were going to strike the bottom," said Aragorn to Merry. "Let the guide go first while you have one." Watching him, Jack was forcibly reminded of his first missions with SG-1, trying to keep a rein on a certain idealistic and enthusiastic doctor. Then the convoy supporting said doctor made its way in to the room and he was torn from his fond memories into ugly reality. Hurriedly he made his way to Daniel's side as Teal'c and Boromir set him down.

"Daniel?" he asked, grasping Daniel's shoulder gently, and then more forcefully. "Danny-boy? You with us?"

"Jack?" Daniel's face creased in discomfort as he opened his eyes. "Where are we?"

"Still in the mines, Daniel," said Jack. "We've been going for a few hours, but I don't think you were with us for most of them."

"You're joking." Daniel closed his eyes and leant his head back on the wall that they had braced him against. Carter knelt beside him and took his hand.

"Stay with us for a little bit longer, okay, Daniel?" she said. "Aragorn and I want to have another look at your leg, if that's alright."

"Sure," said Daniel hazily, but he opened his eyes and attempted to focus on the room around him. "What's that?" he asked. Following his line of sight, Jack saw that he was focused on the large, forbididng dark blotch in the centre of the room.

"It's a well," he said. "We think this was a guardroom, or something similar. Want me to tell you about it?"

"Please," said Daniel, a note of eagerness sounding through the pain in his voice. Jack grinned, and while Sam and Aragorn busied themselves with his dressings, he set about describing the dark room in the best detail he could.

Suddenly they were interrupted by a plunk sound, as if a stone had fallen into deep water in some cavernous place far away; it was magnified and echoed in the hollow tunnels of the mines. After a few panicked moments, in which both Jack and Aragorn leapt to their feet and started towards the door, Pippin confessed that he had dropped a single stone into the well out of curiosity. Relief swept over them, and while Gandalf gave Pippin a stern piece of his mind, Jack caught Aragorn's arm.

"How is he?" he asked. Aragorn sighed heavily.

"He does not fare well," he said. "I do not understand why he did not speak for so long; he must have been in considerable pain."

"Yeah, well, that's Daniel," said Jack unhappily. One day he was going to have to sit Daniel down and explain - again - that it really was alright, in fact it was in the best interests of the team, for him to admit his injuries. They were all prone to covering up, but something, probably a childhood of being passed from orphanage to foster home, and of being bullied by countless jocks in countless playgrounds, had taught Daniel never to admit weakness if he could help it. "What's the bottom line?" he asked.

"The wound has become infected," said Aragorn. "Major Carter and I have treated it as best we can, but there is not much help we can give him without getting him to a safe haven, and swiftly. It is possible that he will die from this injury."

"I don't want to hear that," Jack began, but he stopped as a new sound met their ears: tom-tap, tap-tom. They stopped, and when the echoes had died away, they were repeated: tap-tom, tom-tap, tap-tap, tom. they sounded disquietingly like signals of some sort; but after a while the knocking died away and was not heard again.

"That was the sound of a hammer, or I have never heard one," said Gimli.

"Yes," said Gandalf, "and I do not like it."

~~~

Daniel faded in and out of consciousness for a while, weakened and yet disturbed by the pain in his leg. Sam had told him that he was doing well, but she had said it with that break in her voice that meant she wasn't telling him the truth. Daniel could guess why not, but he schooled himself with the skill of experience not to think on it. They had, after all, been in situations worse than this.

Looking around for a distraction, his eyes lit upon the silhouette of a figure seated by the door, twisting as if he were looking around. After a few minutes of silence, he fancied he heard a sniffle.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly. He figure stared, whirling to face him; and then it rose and approached him. As he came close and sat beside him with a great sigh, Daniel recognised Pippin. "What's up?" he asked.

"Oh," said Pippin, "everything. I didn't mean to cause trouble, you know. I was just…"

"Curious?" asked Daniel. "I do know. Jack tells me at least ten times every day that I'm too curious."

"I didn't mean to upset everyone," repeated Pippin. "It's just… everything's so strange here. Shirefolk are simple people, we like home and food and drink, and here we are in the dark, cold and scared and hungry with who knows what out there looking for us, and it's all my fault."

"Well," said Daniel, "I can't do much about the cold and dark, I'm afraid, but if you pass me my gear, I might be able to help with the hungry part. The vest, that's it." He took the bulky combat vest from Pippin's small hands and rummaged through its many pockets. "I'm sure I have… here!" He smiled in triumph and produced a 5th Avenue bar, which he passed to Pippin.

"What is it?" Pippin asked curiously.

"It's a chocolate bar," said Daniel. "Filled with a kind of peanut butter."

"Chocolate?" Pippin frowned at it suspiciously. "Peanuts?"

"Peanuts are, well, a kind of nut," said Daniel. "And chocolate is… well, chocolate… It's sweet, and there's milk in it, and… you'll like it, trust me."

Still frowning, Pippin tore the wrapper away from one end and nibbled at the corner of the bar. At once his expression changed to one of surprised delight.

"This is wonderful!" he said.

Daniel grinned. "I thought you'd like it," he said. Pippin took another bite, and then covered it over with the wrapper again.

"I should share it with the others," he said. Daniel smiled.

"It's alright, I have a couple more," he said. "Go on, you have that one."


	9. Chapter 8

_**For Those That See - Chapter Eight**_

Jack woke with a start from a dream punctuated with the whistling of arrows and the pounding of staff blasts on stone. As he sat up both his back and his knees protested vividly against sleeping on cold hard stone, but he studiously ignored them and looked around. Teal'c was awake, standing by the doorway as if he were a guard, but his attention frequently flickered over to the huddle of figures next to Jack. Looking over, the colonel saw that Daniel was still sleeping, and beside him lay the smallest of the hobbits, Pippin. He smiled to himself as he saw that while Pippin had his blankets clutched tightly around himself, Daniel's arm was splayed out and his hand rested lightly, almost protectively, on the hobbit's springy curls. Jack supposed that the two of them had been up half the night indulging Daniel's never-quenched thirst for stories of other peoples, and that Daniel had probably not had even half of the sleep he needed. Beside the two sleepers, Carter was sitting with Aragorn on one side and Boromir on the other, speaking in a low voice and holding what was unmistakably a thermometer patch in her hand. She was frowning, and Aragorn was shaking his head; this did not look good.

"Carter!" Jack pushed himself to his feet in spite of his protesting joints and hurried to her side.

"Colonel," she replied, visibly bracing herself. He waited for a moment, peripherally aware of Teal'c joining them, but she did not speak immediately.

"C'mon, Carter, spit it out," he snapped after a moment. Aragorn and Boromir threw him almost identical frowns, probably disapproving of his rough tone, but right now, he didn't really care.

"Daniel has a fever," Carter said unhappily. "It's probably a result of the infection in his leg; he's got much worse overnight, drastically so. It's… it's bad, sir. I've done what I can, but most of our medical supplies are stuck on the other side of that rock fall, or under it."

"Cannot Aragorn offer him assistance?" asked Teal'c, looking hard at the tall man seated beside Carter. "You are a healer, do you not have any remedies, or knowledge with which to aid him?"

"I regret that I do not," said Aragorn. "Were we in Rivendell, or Lothlórien, I could help him, but here… there is little I can do."

"Carter?" said Jack sternly. "Bottom line?"

"The bottom line, sir, is that Daniel might die," she said, not meeting his eyes. "His fever is so high, and with the infection, and the blood loss, I don't see…"

"I don't want to hear that," snapped Jack.

"There's nothing else I can tell you, sir," Carter said quietly. "There isn't anything I can do."

"If this is indeed an Asgard settlement," said Teal'c thickly, "there may be some means of healing Daniel Jackson, or of contacting them. I will go in search of such a device."

"Hold up there, Teal'c," snapped Jack. "No one's about to go wandering off on their own in here."

"It will not be long before we move on," said Boromir. "It is probably best for you to come with us. If there is anything to find, we will find it together." Carter turned to answer him with a sad smile, but a low moan from near his feet caught Jack's attention and he spun to find a pair of bright blue eyes regarding him from under half-closed lids. Swiftly he dropped to one knee and gripped his friend's shoulder.

"How're you doing, Danny?" he asked.

"Jack." Daniel's reply was thin and pained, but his eyes shone bright and a pained smile creased his face. "I heard."

"Oh," said Jack. "How much?"

"Enough," Daniel replied, his eyelids fluttering shut but only for a second. "It's okay, Jack…"

"Of course it is," agreed Jack. "We're going to find a way to contact the Asgard, and it's going to be fine. You'll see."

*

Soon enough they were on the move again. Gandalf muttered something about feelings and smells before leading them down the right hand passage. As much as Jack would have liked to send Carter and Teal'c scouting down the other passages first, he bit down on his comment and followed the wizard. The last thing they needed now was to be separated from the main group, especially if there were hoards of vicious Unas lurking around.

For eight long hours they struggled on, with only two brief halts. Daniel was half-carried the entire way, passed from Jack and Teal'c to Aragorn and Boromir and back again as they went. During their first halt Carter tried her level best to coax him into eating an MRE, but he only managed a few small mouthfuls before quietly stating that he wasn't hungry but could he have some water please and otherwise he was fine, thank you. The hobbits, who seemed almost to have adopted him, hovered close to him while the others rested themselves, and after a few moments Daniel's eyes fluttered open to take in their concerned presence, and he smiled.

"Jack," he said, "could you pass me my gear? My vest?" Jack cast around for a few moments, looking for the kit that Carter had been carrying to ease Daniel's burden, and soon located it nearby. Daniel accepted it and rooted through the many pockets for a few moments before drawing something slender from one. "Frodo," he called, and the hobbit hurried over to him. Daniel took his hand, and pressed the item into it. "This is for you guys," he said. "Pippin will explain, he knows what it is." Frowning, Frodo wandered back over to his cousins, and Jack turned to his teammate with questioning eyes. Daniel's explanation made him laugh out loud, and for a few enjoyable moments he watched the hobbits' curious but wary exploration of the chocolate bar, but when he looked back at Daniel he saw that his eyes were closed again, and his face was far too pale.

Several exhausted hours later, Jack and Teal'c staggered through the passage into a great wide space, with Daniel hanging unconscious between them.

"It would appear that we have passed into a great hall, O'Neill," said Teal'c, watching as Carter shone her torch around them. The light splashed off far walls that described a great cavernous room.

"You think?" grunted Jack. Before them the Company had also halted, and Gandalf was speaking in a pleased tone of voice.

"I chose the right way," he said. "At last we are coming to the habitable parts, and I guess that we are not far now from the eastern side." He continued to speak, but Jack and Teal'c had already moved to settle Daniel against one of the far walls. A light shot from the wizard's staff to illuminate the great hall, and perhaps had Jack not been concerned for his friend's life he would have been impressed, but as it was the vast stone structure only served to remind him of the "Giant Aliens" who had shifted Daniel out of phase, leaving him lost to them for hours and only recovered by the chance help of an elderly and broken man.

The Company began to settle for the night, and Carter began to check Daniel over once more, frowning when she could not recall him to full consciousness. The natives busied themselves for a few minutes with blankets and food, but it was obvious that the attention of the whole group was now firmly settled on the worsening archaeologist. Content that he would be well watched, Jack got to his feet.

"Teal'c," he said, "let's have a scout around, see if there's anything that can help us. The Asgard must have left something we can contact them with."

"If indeed this is an Asgard settlement," Teal'c said as he rose. Jack favoured him with a glare before turning to Carter.

"We'll keep communications open," he said. "Radio me the moment anything happens, right?"

"Yes sir," she responded automatically, never raising her eyes from her prone team-mate. Jack watched her for a second, then allowed his gaze to sweep the group. Beside her knelt Aragorn, looking over Daniel with a healer's eye. On Carter's other side knelt Boromir, not speaking but casting her occasional glances. He would have to have words with him, once they had Daniel sorted out. On Daniel's other side the hobbits were clustered together, almost piled on top of one another where they sat, but all eight eyes radiated concern for their newfound friend. Behind them were three more figures, the Dwarf gruff, the Wizard thoughtful, and the Elf serene; but each showed a worried care for Daniel in their eyes. Yet again Jack was struck by the wonder of Daniel, that he could just stumble onto an alien planet, stammer a sentence or two, and have the natives eating out of his hand. And people wondered why he wanted a civilian on his team.

Exhausted though he was, Jack somehow managed to drag himself from room to room in Teal'c wake, forcing his senses to stay on alert and radioing Carter every five minutes for update's on Daniel's condition, which admittedly hadn't changed a jot. The Dwarves, or the Asgard, whoever had built this place, seemed very fond of chains of identical rooms that one could get very lost in, and several times he had to stop and think hard before he could work out where they were in relation to the base camp. That made Jack realise just how exhausted he was, and after half an hour of looking for something, anything, he was ready to admit that the search was fruitless, when Teal'c's sharp call lent new energy to his legs and he was running to join his friend.

"What? What've you got?" he gasped, ducking through the low doorway to join him.

"I have found proof that other races have visited this world," replied Teal'c smoothly, gesturing to the object at the centre of the room. "And perhaps the cure for Daniel Jackson's illness."

Jack stared long and hard at the great stone object, memories flooding unbidden into his mind. Daniel, crushed under falling rubble in an abortive escape attempt. Daniel, lounging on a throne in black and gold while his friends struggled on in the mines below. Daniel, collapsing on the floor of the General's office… Daniel, pointing a shaking gun at him, screaming that they were trying to kill him and that he was going back, he had to go back.

"Damn," he said.


	10. Chapter 9

_**For Those That See - Chapter Nine**_

Pausing in the doorway, Jack frowned. Daniel was slumped in his chair; his desk littered with the standard assortment of pages that probably weren't in English, but would have been unintelligible even if they were. His crutches were propped up well within arm's reach, and the coffee machine had been moved to the desk so that Daniel could reach it without having to stand. Teal'c had probably been in and helped him with it; there was no way Daniel could have managed the giant filter on his own, and Teal'c was the only one so unafraid of the formidable Doctor Frasier that he could help Daniel acquire the caffeine that she had strictly prohibited. The scene was classic Daniel Jackson, but something was wrong.

It was nothing obvious, for Daniel was not visibly in pain or upset. To the trained eye, though, it was clear that something was wrong; the set of his jaw, the uncomfortable curve of his spine, the lack of enthusiastic scribblings and mutterings as he shuffled through the papers. And as trained eyes went with regard to Daniel, Jack was certain he had the prize specimen.

"Daniel," he called gently from the doorway, careful not to alarm him. Normally he would have wandered in without waiting for an invite and clapped Daniel on the shoulder, but today was not normal. Nor would it be for some time. Even though he spoke softly, Daniel jumped and whirled his head, a fraction of panic crossing his face before recognition registered.

"Hi, Jack," he said, fighting to quell the tremor in his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Frasier said you're not supposed to be working," said Jack, wandering over to the desk. Idly he picked up a small statue and began turning it over in his hands. "But then Doctor Lee tells me that you're working on this translation with him, even though he's not supposed to be working either."

Deftly, Daniel plucked the statue out of his hands and placed it on the other side of his desk, out of arm's reach. "It needs doing, Jack," he said. "The supersoldiers are the biggest threat we've come up against, especially now we have the intel. from Sam and Jacob. And there aren't that many people in the world who speak this dialect."

"So come back to it in a couple of days," said Jack, picking up one of the sheets of transcribed symbols at random. He glanced at it, then turned it upside down to see if it made more sense that way. "The Tok'ra are watching Anubis, so we'll know well before he makes his move. Take a break."

Daniel took the sheet from him and replaced it in its prior place among the muddle of papers. Apparently there was some order to his disorder. "Jack, you know I'm not going to listen to this, don't you?"

"Yep," grinned Jack.

"So why are you here?" Daniel's tone was questioning, but still he kept his eyes from meeting Jack's, focusing firmly on the papers before him.

"Because I had to try?" offered Jack. "No, you know, there's something else. Lee told me that you asked him to transcribe the symbols for you."

"Yes…" said Daniel slowly.

"And then Carter tells me that you refused to take a key for the safe we put the artefact in, even though you'll probably need it fairly frequently."

"I should be able to work without reference to the artefact itself," said Daniel. Jack waited, but it seemed after a moment that that was all the explanation Daniel was prepared to offer.

"Daniel…"

"Jack?"

"It's okay to feel like this, you know."

"Feel like what?" Daniel frowned, a look that to anyone else would be quizzical, but from the way his eyes remained focused on the desk before him, Jack recognised a decidedly unhappy, I don't want to talk about this so please go away and stop pushing expression. He ignored it completely.

"Nervous. Unhappy. Disconnected. Freaked out. Whatever you're feeling, Daniel, it's okay."

"Jack, I…"

"Daniel, you were in a hostage situation." Gently, Jack rested a hand on his friend's shoulder, hoping it was a comfort and not an unwelcome intrusion. "You were kidnapped and hostaged and tortured, Daniel, and you did good, real good, but that doesn't mean you have to keep going on like nothing happened. We're here for you; I'm here for you."

"I know." Daniel took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes, but he did not pull away. "I know I can talk to you, and I will, when I need to. At the moment, that's not it - I mean, I'm fine at the moment."

The slip was momentary, but Jack caught it instantly. "That's not it?" he queried. "What is it, then?"

"Jack..."

"Daniel."

"You really want to know?"

Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Yes, Daniel, I really want to know."

Daniel set his glasses carefully on his desk, and looked up to meet Jack's eyes. Fear shone clear in his blue gaze; fear and confusion and a little sheen of panic. "They had the artefact switched on," he said.

"I know," said Jack, "I was there, remember? Walking corpses shooting at people and all that. Is that what's got you on edge?"

"No…" Daniel wrapped his arms firmly around his chest, a clear sign that he was turning inwards from the world. "The artefact… the technology that the sarcophagus came from, Jack. It was switched on, and I was there, for so long…" He looked back to his desk, avoiding his friend's gaze.

Realisation fell in on Jack, accompanied by a host of memories; images of mining, and thinking they were dying, and of Daniel lording it on the surface with Shyla; of finally getting him away from that machine, and the long slow road to recovery. "Oh god," he murmured. "Daniel, maybe we should get you back to the infirmary."

"I'm alright," Daniel insisted gently. "It's just difficult, you know? I didn't remember so much from when I was… well, you know, but now I do, and it hurts, and I can't keep the images out of my mind…" He glanced back up, and as their eyes met pain and grief lanced from Daniel's eyes straight into Jack's heart.

_You going to kill me, Daniel?_

You're trying to kill me…

There'll be guards here in thirty seconds!

I'm going back…

You don't have to! Frasier says you're getting better!

You're lying…

"Oh god, Daniel," Jack murmured, unable to find other words to offer. The hand still on his friend's shoulder slid almost of its own accord across his back, and somehow Jack had moved from leaning against the desk to reaching down and pulling Daniel into a tight hug. Under his arms he could feel the other man trembling with tiny shivers that he could not seem to still.

"I can't do it, Jack," Daniel said, his words muffled against Jack's shoulder. "I can't work with that thing, not ever. I might switch it on, and I'm scared… I don't ever want to go back there."

~~~

"O'Neill!"

"Sorry, Teal'c." Jack ran a hand across his face, sighing heavily. "I was just… remembering something."

"We must return to the camp," said the Jaffa without preamble. "It is vital that we bring Daniel Jackson here without delay."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," said Jack. Teal'c looked at him with frighteningly calm eyes.

"Daniel Jackson will surely die if we do not bring him here," he said.

"Yeah, I know," said Jack, "but we don't know what will happen if we do put him in there."

"It has been many years since Daniel Jackson's experience with the sarcophagus, O'Neill."

Jack nodded. "He's still susceptible to it, T, trust me on this one." He shook his head grimly, glaring at the object that was simultaneously their one hope and Daniel's worst fear. "You can't read the writing on that thing, can you?"

"I cannot," said Teal'c, "but I am certain that Daniel Jackson will have that skill."

"I guess we've got to let him make his own mind up, right?" Jack sighed unhappily. "Come on, let's head back."

~~~

All was quiet as they returned to the chamber where the Company rested. As they approached, Teal'c paused and turned sharply, as if he had heard something; but when O'Neill asked him what was wrong, he merely frowned and shook his head before walking on, saying that there was nothing there. O'Neill was not inclined to argue; they needed to get back, soon. Entering the chamber, they nodded to Legolas who was on watch, and hurried to Carter's side. She too was awake, watching nervously over Daniel who tossed feverishly in his sleep. Swiftly O'Neill outlined their plan to her, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Well, it proves at least that there have been Goa'uld here in the past," she said. "Although if this is an Asgard settlement I can't think why there might be a sarcophagus down here…"

"Carter…" said Jack warningly.

"Right, sir, not important," she said. "Are you going to take some rest before we go?"

Jack looked pointedly at Daniel. "No," he said, "we're going now. We can rest while Daniel's going through the spin cycle… if he goes through."

"If, sir?"

"If," he confirmed. "It has to be his choice, major."

Teal'c knelt beside Daniel, shaking his shoulder, but Daniel only murmured his eyes blearily for a moment and murmured something that sounded Abydonian before drifting back into his restless sleep. "I believe we must go now, O'Neill," said Teal'c firmly.

"Right." Jack nodded. "You take Daniel, for now; we'll trade partway." He grabbed Daniel's gear in addition to his, and walked quietly to the Elf who watched them silently from the doorway. "We're not running out on you," he said, "but we think we've found something that will help Daniel further along the path. Teal'c can track well, so we'll try to meet up with you as soon as we can, but we have to go now."

Legolas inclined his head gracefully in understanding. "I will explain to the others," he said. "I am sure all our blessings go with you."

"Thank you," replied Jack. He turned and led the way out of the chamber, carefully retracing his steps. Behind him was Teal'c, carrying Daniel across his broad shoulders, and in the rear walked Carter, abnormally quiet and tense.

~~~

"Daniel? Daniel, can you hear me?"

The familiar voice sounded through the muddled haze of his mind, and with great effort Daniel forced his eyes open. A pale face crowned with gold hovered above him, and the voice called out: "Sir, I think he's waking up."

Another face joined the first, and as Daniel tried to focus he was able to make out a relieved grin. "Daniel!" it said with Jack O'Neill's voice. "How're you doing?"

"Dumb question," Daniel tried to reply, and although the words grated horribly in his throat, the sense of them must have got through because Jack chuckled softly.

"I guess so," he replied. "Can you sit up? We have something to show you." Another familiar presence joined them, and with Jack at one shoulder and Teal'c at the other, Daniel allowed himself to be hauled up. He stared long and hard at the great black thing in the centre of the room, and then Carter slipped his glasses carefully onto his face and he stared again.

"Is that what I think it is?" he gasped.

"If you think it's a sarcophagus, then yeah," said Jack. Daniel felt the shudder of loathing as it passed through him involuntarily, draining his limbs of precious energy. "So there were Goa'uld here, at one point," he whispered.

"Yeah…" said Jack, "but that's not why we're showing you. Daniel… you're dying."

"Really?" Daniel coughed. "I though I was getting better."

"Don't be an ass," snapped Jack, but his tone was fond. "Daniel, we want to put you into the sarcophagus."

"What? No!" Daniel began to struggle, but he found he was too weak even for that, and after a moment's panicked shaking he collapsed against Jack's shoulder. "I don't want…"

"Daniel, you're going to die," repeated Jack. "If you go in the sarcophagus, you'll live, and we'll just have a little fallout to deal with."

"Fallout?" repeated Daniel weakly.

Jack nodded. "Fallout," he said certainly. "We've dealt before, and this'll be nowhere near as bad. Alright?"

"Jack…"

"Do you trust me?"

Daniel forced his eyes open once more, meeting concerned brown with exhausted and terrified blue. "Yes, I trust you," he said finally.

"So you'll do it?"

Daniel nodded, and he felt the last dregs of his energy draining from his body as four hands lifted him carefully and carried him a short distance before setting him down in cold stone.

"Sweet dreams," said a voice, Jack's, from far away. There was a grating of stone upon stone, and then there was only silence punctuated by his heartbeat, and the warm golden glow of healing and madness.


	11. Chapter 10

_**For Those That See - Chapter Ten**_  
_  
Jack was kneeling on a cold tiled floor, the crosshatched light casting his features into mottled shadow. He was covered with dirt; skin, hair and clothes were all darkened to the same colour. Deep coughs wracked his weak body as he slowly raised his eyes to face the figure seated before him, wearing robes of gold and black and a bright smile, swinging his legs nonchalantly._

"We're losing the battle down there, you know," said Jack. "Carter's started having Goa'uld flashbacks, says if you keep using that sarcophagus you'll go darkside on us. If you haven't already." He coughed again, painfully.

"Well don't worry a bit," Daniel said quietly. "We're getting out of here tomorrow."

"What?" Jack looked up in surprise, having to force himself to meet Daniel's eyes. No, not Daniel's. His eyes were a serene, intelligent blue, not the wild bright blaze that now watched him.

"I agreed to marry her," Daniel said by way of explanation.

"You're kidding?"

Daniel leapt easily to his feet, grinning broadly. "But," he said, grasping Jack by the arms and hauling him to his feet, "I said I had to go home and straighten a few things out first. You guys are coming with me." He draped a friendly arm around his CO's shoulders.

"She trusts you?" Jack did not even try to keep the disbelief from his voice.

"She loves me," stated Daniel, drawing a deep breath and smiling proudly, apparently unaware of Jack trembling with exhaustion beside him. The gold on his robes glinted brightly under the dappled light.

Frodo awoke with a start, confused as his dream blurred with reality for a moment. There had been a mine, so like this one, but it had been filled with labouring slaves, and guards with weapons that cast bolts of light, and pain. There had been a rockfall, and Daniel had died… but then a palace, and Daniel had lived, but he was cruel and unkind. Jack, Sam and Teal'c had been hurting, dying, and there had been a woman Frodo did not know, standing with Daniel and smiling…

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam was looking at him in concern. "What is it?"

"Just a dream, Sam," said Frodo. "I'm fine."

"What was it about?" asked Sam.

"It was about Daniel and Jack…" looking around, Frodo realised with a start what was wrong about the camp. "Where are they?" he asked suddenly. "Have they gone?" Beside him, Pippin, who had been slowly awakening, shot up and stared at the empty space where SG-1 had been when they fell asleep.

"Why would they leave?" he asked unhappily.

Aragorn walked over and knelt beside the hobbits. "They left while we were sleeping, during Legolas' watch," he said. "Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c found something that would help Daniel, or so they thought. That was several hours ago now."

"In the middle of the night?" Merry frowned even as he rubbed Pippin's shoulder consolingly. "Why didn't they wait until we were all awake? Surely it would be safer if we were all together?"

Aragorn smiled tightly to himself, marvelling at how swiftly the hobbits had adopted O'Neill's team into the company. It seemed that once they decided someone was trustworthy, the hobbits were unswervingly loyal. "Perhaps," he said, "but Daniel was very ill, and he needed help as soon as was possible. They are accomplished warriors and I am sure we need not fear for them. In fact, we will probably come across them as we move on." He left unspoken his thought that there was little now that could be of help to Daniel, and he could think of nothing that the abandoned mines could offer.

Looking about himself once more, Frodo was surprised by the realisation that a dim light was falling on his face. High above the eastern archway through a shaft near the roof came a long pale gleam; and across the hall through the northern arch light also glimmered faint and distantly.

"Good morning!" said Gandalf, walking over. "For morning it is again at last. I was right, you see. We are high up on the east side of Moria. Before today is over we ought to find the Great Gates and see the waters of Mirrormere lying in the Dimrill Dale before us."

After some discussion the company was moving once more. Gandalf seemed uncertain as to the correct path for them to take, and so led them through the northern arch in search of the light. They found themselves in a wide corridor, along which the glimmer gently grew stronger. Aragorn had moved to walk beside Gandalf for a spell, frowning at the dusty floor as they journeyed. At length he dropped back again to walk with the hobbits, placing a kind hand on Frodo's shoulder.

"The path ahead of us is disturbed," he told them. "Three have walked here, one bearing a burden. I believe we are following in the footsteps of our friends; doubtless we shall find them in time." Frodo smiled up at him, somewhat lightened by the news, and beside him Pippin gave a little sigh of relief.

Further down the corridor they found that the source of the light was a doorway on their right. It was high and flat-topped, and the stone door was still on its hinges, standing half open. Beyond it was a large square chamber. It was dimly lit, but to their eyes, after so long a time in the dark, it seemed dazzlingly bright, and they blinked as they entered.

Their feet disturbed a deep dust upon the floor, and stumbled among things lying in the doorway whose shapes they could not at first made out. A shaft of light fell from high in the eastern wall onto a table in the middle of the room; a single oblong block upon which was laid a great slab of white stone.

In a sudden flurry of movement, three figures appeared seemingly from nowhere, each bringing a weapon to bear on the company. Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords with a sudden ringing that filled the quiet space, Gimli hefted his axe, and Legolas already had an arrow drawn and aimed. But even as they found their marks, each of them froze, and then lowered their weapons as one of the figures stepped forward.

"Good to see you," said Jack nonchalantly, moving into the light. Behind him, the smaller figure – Carter - relaxed and lowered her weapon, and Teal'c returned his staff to a one-handed hold. "I thought you lot were going straight on," the colonel continued.

"We thought it best to make certain of our location before we moved on," said Aragorn, stepping forward to match him. "Have you found the device you sought? Where is Daniel?"

"He's… well, he's in…" Jack floundered for words for a few moments before giving in. "Carter!" he snapped, and the woman hurried forward.

"This may be a little hard for you to take in," she said, "but Daniel's in something that appears very like a tomb. That's not what it is, though; it's an alien device that heals the body of pretty much any injury. We found one here, and Daniel's been in it for a few hours now. He should be much better by now, and probably will be completely healed."

"This tomb?" Gandalf swept over to the great stone form in the centre of the floor, and frowned down at the covering slab. Pallor swept over his features. "The runes read Balin son of Fundin Lord of Moria. He is dead then." Behind Aragorn, Gimli gave a little gasp and drew his hood low across his face.

"The writing is incorrect," said Teal'c impassively. "There was no body in the sarcophagus when we placed Daniel Jackson within it."

"What else could the writing be, but the text of Balin's tombstone?" said Gandalf, his eyes flashing. "Where else would Balin be?"

"He was not within the sarcophagus," repeated Teal'c firmly. Gandalf frowned fiercely, but before he could reply Frodo had spoken, drawing all eyes to himself.

"Isn't the sarcophagus dangerous?" he asked. O'Neill and Carter exchanged a look that Aragorn could not read, and the major dropped onto one knee to put herself on a level with Frodo.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

Frodo shifted uncomfortably. "It is, isn't it?" he pressed. "Won't it make Daniel… wrong, in the head? Doesn't it make him, well, crazy?" He glanced around, keenly aware that everyone was staring at him in amazement.

"Did Daniel tell you that?" asked O'Neill gruffly. Frodo shook his head, and the colonel looked around to fix each of his teammates with a hard stare.

"I have not spoken of it," Teal'c said.

"Not a word, sir," agreed Carter. O'Neill looked back at Frodo.

"How do you know?" he asked. Frodo shifted uncomfortably under his questing gaze, and Aragorn stepped softly to the hobbit's side, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"What is it, Frodo?" he asked.

Relief flooded Frodo's features as he looked up into the Ranger's kind gaze, much more comfortable speaking to him than to Jack, with his closed, hard eyes. "I had a dream, last night," he said. "Daniel was there, and Jack and Samantha and Teal'c, but Daniel was different… he was using something like a tomb, but it was great and golden… he would lie in it for hours at a time, I don't know what it did. But he was different, unkind and thoughtless." He took a deep breath and looked back to Jack, and then to Samantha and Teal'c. Each of them bore an expression of disbelief and discomfort. "Eventually they took him away from the sarcophagus," continued Frodo, "but Daniel became ill. He was raving, and they had to tie him down… he even tried to kill Jack."

"You dreamt all this?" Carter asked him increduously. "How…"

"What have you done?" interrupted Boromir suddenly. "This device will drive Daniel to madness, and to enmity with his allies?"

"We didn't have a choice," Jack snapped, the bite of years old pain colouring his voice. "Look, everyone, what Frodo saw did happen. The sarcophagus is addictive, and Daniel had a problem with it, and when we took him from it he went through withdrawal. But that was years ago and frankly, I don't give a damn about it, because he was going to die if we didn't do anything. Whatever happens, we'll get through it… all of us. Alright?" A ringing silence fell around the companies.

"What is done, is done," said Gandalf finally. "And for the little I can see, I believe you have made the true choice. Daniel would not have long survived, but now he will grow only stronger. Was it his choice?"

"It had to be," said Jack, his voice both firm and defensive. He glared around, but none of the others would meet his eyes, save Frodo. Finally he spoke again. "He'll probably be a while longer," he said. "You guys should probably head on."

"No," said Frodo quickly. Unexpectedly, Aragorn spoke in agreement.

"It will be safer to move as one," he said in a tone that brooked no argument. "Especially if one of your number is unwell. We will wait with you."

"Thanks," said Jack, not bothering to explain that Daniel should be just fine, at least to begin with. He gave Aragorn a gruff nod of thanks, and settled with his back against the sarcophagus to wait. The stone was not cool, but it hummed and emanated slight warmth that he hoped meant it was doing its job. The Fellowship settled around the chamber; Gandalf found an old tattered book that Daniel probably would have given his eye teeth for and began to read to an audience of two intrigued hobbits and a glowering Dwarf. Carter and Teal'c had resumed their defensive positions near the door, and Legolas and Aragorn flanked them, watchful eyes glancing through the darkness. Boromir too had joined the guard, but he settled near Carter, and soon they were speaking in low voices. Jack frowned, ignoring the protective twinge he felt and firmly telling himself that it wasn't jealousy. He turned his head away, and was startled to find a pair of blue eyes watching him quietly. Before he could tell Daniel to go away and find some interesting rocks to play with, he realised that it was not Daniel, but Frodo who sat next to him. I must be more tired than I thought, he told himself, what sort of mistake is that to make?

"Frodo?" he said.

"Daniel will be well," said Frodo softly. "Do not worry. He has strength enough for this."

"Right," said Jack. "Frodo, how do you know all this stuff?" Before Frodo could answer, though, the scrape of stone on stone made them all jump, and Jack leapt to his feet as a familiar voice called his name, sounding vague and confused.

"Right here, Dannyboy," he said, hoping the nickname would comfort Daniel somewhat. Either that, or it would annoy him, which was familiar enough that Jack was happy to settle for that. "How're you feeling?"

"Fine," said Daniel, sitting up and squinting. Jack handed him his glasses, and he grinned around at the rest of SG-1 as they crowded around with relieved smiles. "For now, at least," he amended. "I'd like to apologise for anything I might…"

"We understand, DanielJackson," said Teal'c compassionately. "Your friends are with you; perhaps more than you expected to find." He looked down almost fondly at Frodo, who was peering up over the high-sided sarcophagus. Daniel smiled gently.

Suddenly they heard a great noise: a rolling Boom that seemed to come from the depths far below. Then came the echoing blast of a great horn blown in the hall, and answering horns and harsh cries. There was a hurrying sound of many feet.

"They are coming!" cried Legolas.


	12. Chapter 11

_**For Those That See - Chapter Eleven**_

_Doom, doom_ came the drumbeat and the walls shook.

"Slam the doors and wedge them!" shouted Aragorn. "And – "

"For crying out loud!" Jack exploded. "We are not going to trap ourselves in here!"

"No indeed," agreed Gandalf. "Keep the east door ajar! We will go that way, if we get a chance."

Another harsh horn-call and shrill cries ran out. Feet were coming down the corridor. There was a ring and a clatter as the Company drew their swords and SG1 hefted their weapons. Boromir set his shoulder against the western door. Jack realised that Daniel was going to move a mere instant before he did, and his fingers closed on empty air instead of his shoulder.

"Wait!" Daniel shouted, darting forward. Jack yelled after him crossly, but the he ducked nimbly around Boromir and, standing at the door, shouted some words in a language that sounded harsh and guttural, yet vaguely familiar to Jack's ears. Around him the Company gasped in shock, and Gandalf moved swiftly to stand by Daniel. Amid the rush of voices one deep call was raised; it replied in the same language that Daniel had spoken and gave a harsh laugh. With quick movement Gandalf stepped to the gap in the door and thrust forward his staff, which gave a great flash of bright light. Jack reached out and dragged Daniel back by his sleeve.

"Dammit, Daniel…"

The hobbits looked scared by the mixture of anger and frustration in his voice, and not for the first time Jack wished he could inspire the same reaction in the civilian on his team, who merely looked at him, unperturbed.

"It was worth a try, Jack."

"And?" demanded Jack.

"Well… they're not exactly interested in talking."

Before Jack could respond with a highly sarcastic and yet witty retort, Gandalf rejoined them and Boromir slammed the door shut.

"There are orcs, very many of them," he said. "And some are large and evil: black Uruks of Mordor. For the moment they are hanging back, but there is something else there. A great cave-troll, I think, or more than one. There is no hope of escape that way."

"And no hope at all, if they come at the other door as well," said Boromir.

"There is no sound here," said Teal'c, who stood listening at the other door. "Perhaps we may withdraw through this passage."

"It is no good flying blindly with the pursuit just behind," said Aragorn. "We cannot block the door. Its key is gone and the lock is broken, and it opens inwards. We must do something to delay the enemy first. We will make them fear the Chamber of Mazarbul!" Sam, Daniel and Teal'c all looked to Colonel O'Neill, half expecting him to argue, but he merely nodded, his jaw set and the grim light in his eye an exact mirror of the light in Aragorn's.

Heavy feet sounded in the corridor, and Boromir and Carter worked swiftly to wedge the door with broken sword-blades and splinters of wood. The Companies retreated to the other side of the chamber. But they had no chance to fly yet. There was a blow on the door that made it quiver; and then it began to grind slowly open, driving back the wedges. A huge arm and shoulder, with a dark skin of greenish scales, was thrust through the widening gap. Then a great, flat, toeless foot was forced through below. There was a dead silence outside.

Boromir leapt forward and hewed at the arm with all his might; but his sword rang, glanced aside and fell from his shaken hand. The blade was notched.

Teal'c raised his staff weapon, but Frodo sprang to Boromir's side, wrath blazing in his heart. He stooped, and stabbed with Sting at the hideous foot. There was a bellow, and the foot jerked back, nearly wrenching Sting from Frodo's arm. Boromir hurled himself against the door and slammed it again.

"One for the Shire!" cried Aragorn. "The hobbit's bite is deep! You have a good blade, Frodo son of Drogo!"

"Less chatter!" snapped Jack, forgetting for a moment that these were not men under his command. Crash after crash fell upon the door, as rams and hammers beat it from without. It cracked and staggered back, and the opening grew suddenly wide. Arrows came whistling in, but struck the northern wall and fell harmlessly to the floor. There was a horn-blast and a rush of feet, and orcs one after another leaped into the chamber.

How many there were the Company could not count. The affray was sharp, but the orcs were dismayed by the fierceness of the defence and the strange and unknown weapons. Between sword, bow, staff weapon and MP-5 they slew many, and the rest fled shrieking, leaving the defenders unharmed, except for Sam who had a scratch on the scalp from the orc he had felled, and Carter who had taken a glancing blow to the arm. A small patch of blood was spreading on her sleeve, and she grasped it tightly to staunch the flow.

"Let's move!" commanded Jack. "Now, let's go!" But even as they retreated, a huge orc-chieftain leaped into the chamber; behind him his followers clustered in the doorway. With a thrust of his huge hide shield he turned Boromir's sword and threw him backwards to the ground, catching the energy of Teal'c's staff weapon upon it as he did so. Diving under Aragorn's blow with the speed of a striking snake he charged into the Company and thrust his spear straight at Frodo. The blow caught him on the right side, and Frodo was hurled against the wall and pinned. Sam, with a cry, hacked at the spear-shaft, and it broke. But even as the orc threw down the haft and swept out his scimitar, the repeating thunder of MP-5 fire filled the chamber, echoing and building upon itself. Jack stood firm, pouring bullets into the creature even as he fell, while Carter and Daniel turned their weapons on the other orcs, who fled howling.

Doom, doom went the drums in the deep. The great voice rolled out again.

"Now!" shouted Gandalf. "Now is the last chance! Run for it!"

Aragorn picked up Frodo where he lay by the wall and made for the stair, following Carter and Daniel who were herding Merry and Pippin in front of them. The others followed; but Gimli had to be dragged away from the tomb where he still lingered in confusion, Legolas on one arm and Teal'c on the other. Boromir hauled the eastern door to, but could not fasten it.

"I am alright," gasped Frodo. "I can walk. Put me down!" Aragorn nearly dropped him in his amazement. "I thought you were dead!" he cried.

"Not yet!" said Gandalf. "But there is no time for wonder. Off you go, all of you, down the stairs! Wait for me at the bottom, but if I do not come soon, go on! Take paths leading right and downwards."

"Hey!" said Jack.

"But…" said Daniel.

"We cannot leave you to hold the door alone!" said Aragorn.

"Do as I say!" said Gandalf fiercely. "Swords are no more use here. Go!"

The passage was lit by no shaft and was utterly dark, so Carter and Teal'c took point with their flashlights scanning the steps before them. They paused when they reached the bottom, and for long moments none spoke, save that Frodo heard Jack mutter to Daniel; "Takes after you, that one." He looked up and saw that they were looking at him.

Suddenly at the top of the stair there was a stab of white light. Then there was a dull rumble and a heavy thud. The drumbeats broke out wildly, and then stopped. Gandalf came flying down the steps and fell to the ground in the midst of the company.

"Well, well! That's over!" said the wizard, struggling to his feet. "I have done all that I could: but I have met my match. But don't stand here! Go on! Where are you, Gimli? Come ahead with me! And you, Teal'c! We shall need light: I am rather shaken. Keep close behind, all of you!"

They stumbled after Gandalf for an hour, following the passage with its steep steps for about a mile, or maybe a little more. There was no sound of pursuit, and Gandalf halted at the bottom of a flight of steps.

"I must rest here a moment," he said with a gasp, "even if all the orcs ever spawned are after us." Daniel and Teal'c took his arms and helped him gently to a seat on a step.

"What happened back there?" Daniel asked, his bright blue eyes keenly gazing at the wizard through the darkness.

"I do not know," answered Gandalf. "But I found myself suddenly faced by something I have not met before. I tried to put a shutting-spell on the door. I heard orc voices on the other side of the door, and I thought that any moment they would burst it open. I could not hear what was said, save one word: ghásh."

"Fire," Daniel murmured.

"Something came into the chamber," continued Gandalf. "It laid hold of the door, and then it perceived me and my spell. What it was I cannot guess, but I have never felt such a challenge. The counter-spell was terrible. It nearly broke me. For an instant the door left my control and began to open! I had to speak a word of Command, but it was too great a strain, and the door broke in pieces. Something dark as a cloud was blocking all light inside, and I was thrown backwards. All the wall gave way, and the roof of the chamber. The passage, at least, is completely blocked."

Gandalf fell silent, confusion evident on his often unreadable face. Daniel frowned and glanced up at Sam, then at Teal'c, but to his dismay both faces were as empty of clues as his own mind.

~~~

After some few minutes of rest, and once they had ascertained that Frodo was able to go on, they moved off. Before long Gimli spoke.

"There is a light ahead," he said. "But it is not daylight, it is red."

"Ghásh" muttered Daniel. Jack frowned at him.

"What? Gash, that's what, fire?"

"They might have set the lower levels on fire," offered Carter unhappily.

"They might." Agreed Gandalf. "Still, we can only go on."

They soon came to a low archway, through which heat and light poured. Gandalf signalled them to wait and went through. Quickly he stepped back.

"I know now where we are," he said. "We have reached the first deep, and the gates are not more than a quarter of a mile away. But come and look!" They peered out, and saw that they were on the eastern side of a great cavernous hall, down the centre of which ran a great fissure. Out of it came a fierce light, and occasional licks of flame, and they realised that had they come by the main road from the upper levels, they would have been cut off. Instead it was the orcs that were held back, as they raced their way to the Bridge, which lay slander and ancient over a great black chasm.

Arrows fell among them as they sped across the bridge in single file. Reaching the other side, Teal'c and Carter turner and opened fire, and Legolas too set and arrow to the string and turned to take aim. He drew, but his hand fell, and the arrow slipped to the ground. He gave a cry of dismay and fear as the orcs crowded away from something that approached the Bridge. As it leapt the fire in the fissure, flames reached out to wreath it in fire. Black smoke swirled in the air. In its right hand was a blade like a stabbing tongue of fire; in its left it held a whip of many thongs.

"Ai! Ai!" wailed Legolas. "A Balrog! A Balrog is come!" The guns fell silent as SG-1 stared in fear and horror. Gandalf leaned heavily on his staff.

"What an evil fortune!" he muttered. "And I am already weary."

The Balrog streamed towards them, and Gandalf jerked into action, recalling his strength. "Fly!" he cried. "This is a foe beyond any of you. I must hold the narrow way. Fly!" Aragorn and Boromir did not heed the command, but still held their ground, side by side at the far end of the bridge. Behind them O'Neill and Carter stood emptying round after ineffective round into the creature of fire and smoke.

The Balrog reached the bridge. Gandalf stood in the middle of the span, his staff in his left hand and Glamdring glittering in his right. It halted, spreading great smoke wreathed wings through the cavern.

"You cannot pass," said Gandalf. "I am the servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. You cannot pass. Go back to the shadow! You cannot pass." The Balrog drew forward, and from out of the shadow a red sword leaped flaming.

Glamdring glittered white in answer, and with a stab of white fire, the Balrog fell back and its sword flew in molten fragments. Gandalf swayed, took a pace back, and stood firm once more.

"You cannot pass!" he said. The Balrog leaped onto the bridge, its whip whirling and hissing.

"He cannot stand alone!" cried Aragorn suddenly and ran back along the bridge. "Elendil!" he shouted. "I am with you, Gandalf!"

"Gondor!" cried Boromir and leaped after him.

"Minnesota!" shouted Jack, firing over their heads at the Balrog as he too ran forward. At that moment Gandalf lifted his staff, and crying aloud he smote the bridge before him. The staff broke asunder and fell from his hand. The bridge cracked and broke at the Balrog's feet, and the stone upon which it stood crashed into the gulf, leaving the rest impossibly standing firm. With a terrible cry the Balrog fell, and its shadow plunged down and vanished. But even as it fell it swung its whip to catch the wizard around the knees. He staggered and fell, grasped vainly at the stone, and slid into the abyss.

"Fly, you fools!" he cried, and was gone.

The fires went out, and blank darkness fell. The rest of the bridge crumbled into the pit even as the men tore back across it. Aragorn gave a cry.

"Come! I will lead you know!" he called. "We must obey his last command! Follow me!"

They ran wildly up the great stairs, Aragorn leading, Boromir and Jack in the rear. The light grew before them, and they passed into a hall bright with daylight from high eastern windows. Through its huge broken doors they passed, and suddenly before them the Great Gates opened, an arch of blazing light.

There was a guard of orcs crouching in the shadows behind the great doorposts towering on either side, but the gates were shattered and cast down. As they approached, the firearms rang out once more and the orcs fled in terror. The Company swept past, out of the Gates, down the steps and out of the shadow of Moria into the bright sunlight. Yet they ran on, until they were well out of bowshot from the walls and surrounded by the golden noon sun. Halting, they looked back to see the archway yawning dark, trailing thin smoke into the light. All around them, the dale was empty.

Finally, grief wholly overcame them. The hobbits, weeping with great wracking sobs, fell into each other's embraces and curled as tightly as they could into a huddle. Gimli had fallen to his knees, shaking with anger, and Legolas and Aragorn stood together, not speaking but drawing comfort from the proximity of another in the silence. Tears streaked Aragorn's face, while Legolas' handsome features were marred with shock and confusion. Teal'c stood alone, his hand clutched to his chest and his head bowed. Boromir had dropped to the ground, and Samantha approached him instinctively, taking his hand and clutching it to her cheek as tears stung both their eyes. Far from the rest of them stood Daniel, shivering despite the bright sunlight, his face twisted into a terrible expression that Jack had not seen since the day Anubis had come to obliterate what remained of his family on Abydos, long after Daniel himself had passed on. Nervously, he walked to his side and realised that Daniel was speaking soft words in a language he didn't know. They were at once beautiful and heart breaking to hear. Silently he gripped Daniel's shoulder, staring back to the dark doors of the mountain and trying not to remember the last time one of his comrades gave their life to protect those around them.


	13. Chapter 12

_**For Those That See - Chapter Twelve**_

The breath burned in Frodo's chest as he struggled to keep pace with the rest of the Company. At his side, Sam too laboured, even though he had begun to waver slightly as he walked. No matter how hard they tried, though, it seemed that their companions kept slipping away from them: even Daniel, whom they had been certain would be dead by not. Frodo could not find voice to cry out.

Frodo could not tell how long it had been since they had passed on from Moria, but it felt as though many hours, or even days, had slipped by without his noticing. Time had passed in a grey haze since Aragorn had bid them leave their grief and depart. Grimly the company had rallied themselves, and Gimli had even found a note of joy, pulling Frodo and Sam aside to look upon the Mirrormere, the only light in dark hours. Frodo could not think on it now, though, and would not think on Gandalf: so he gave all his mind over to taking the next step, and then to the next after that.

Dimly he heard a cry, and looking up he saw Aragorn and Daniel running back to meet them, with the others waiting ahead. Aragorn's face was full of concern.

"I am sorry, Frodo!" he cried. "So much has happened this day, and we have such need of haste, that I had forgotten that you were hurt; and Sam too. You should have spoken. Come now! A little further on there is a place where we can rest for a while. There I will do what I can for you. Come, Daniel! We will carry them."

Daniel picked Frodo up with careful arms and held him gently as they made their way onward. When they reached their destination, a flat space in the shelter of the falls of the Silverlode, they found that Legolas had led Teal'c and Jack ahead, and they had kindled a fire with the white tablets they had used before. The younger hobbits set about gathering brushwood with which to feed the flames and drawing water, and Boromir led Samantha over to the fire, helping her out of her jacket and easing her sleeve up to look at the wound on her arm, which she had hastily bandaged several hours earlier. Frodo thought he saw Jack give them an odd look, but then the colonel turned and approached them. Daniel set him beside Sam, and stood back alongside his friend.

Sam's wound was not deep, but looked ugly, and Aragorn's face was grave as he examined it. After a moment he looked up with relief.

"Good luck, Sam!" he said. "The cut is not poisoned, as the wounds of orc-blades too often are. It should heal well when I have tended it. Is the water hot?"

"It is," said Teal'c, and he approached bearing a small basin. Aragorn nodded and reached for his pouch.

"They are dry, and some of their virtue has gone," he said, "but here I have still some of the leaves of athelas that I gathered near Weathertop. Crush one in the water…"

"Hold on," interrupted Jack. Sam jumped, and Aragorn looked up, raising his eyebrows. "You're going to treat him with crushed plant?"

"Jack..." said Daniel in a warning tone. Jack held up a finger to silence him.

"All I'm saying," he continued, "is that we have plenty of disinfectants and… stuff."

"We have medicines that have been refined until only the effective elements remain," explained Daniel in a placatory tone. "They'll probably be more effective if your medicines are dried, and safer too, since they're packaged to be free of contaminants. IF we may?"

"By all means," said Aragorn, clearly curious. "Are these the same medicines with which your injured leg was treated?"

"Some, yes," said Daniel, as Jack ripped open a packet of powder and sprinkled it into the hot water. "But of course, on a small wound they'll be much more effective."

"We're ready here," announced Jack, stirring the water, which had turned a vivid yellow. Frodo gaped in surprise, and Sam looked ready to bolt, but he tensed his shoulders and sat still as Jack approached. "I can bind a head wound no problem," he was saying. "You two take care of Frodo."

"I am alright," said Frodo quickly. "All I needed was some food and a little rest." At these words, Jack threw a pointed look at Daniel.

"No!" said Aragorn. "We must have a look at what the hammer and the anvil have done to you. I still marvel that you are alive at all." Gently he stripped off Frodo's old jacket and worn tunic, and gave a gasp of wonder. Then he laughed.

"Sam!" Daniel called. "Come and see this!" Aragorn carefully took the corslet from Frodo and held it up, and the sound of the shaken rings was like the tinkle of rain in a pool.

"Look, my friends!" he called. "Here's a pretty hobbit-skin to wrap an elven-princling in!" Daniel reached out to run his fingertips over the rings, and he glanced at Sam who had appeared at his side.

"What d'you think?" he asked in a low voice, as the Company talked light-heartedly. She nodded.

"It's trinium, alright," she confirmed. "Not like the alloy on the gates: this is the stuff we're used to encountering. Well worked, too… if we could set up a trade negotiation with this world, the Pentagon would be laughing."

"Makes it worth our while trying to go after this Goa'uld, does it?" said Jack unexpectedly.

"That's not exactly what I was thinking…" insisted Daniel.

"I'm sure it wasn't," said Jack. "Fact is, though, if we involve ourselves in this little war, as everyone seems to be keen to, we're going to answer for it when we get home. If there's a trade negotiation for trinium into the bargain, it might just save us the trouble of a court-martial."

~~~

After they had rested, they walked on for some hours. The sun dropped to the horizon, and a chill wind blew up the valley to meet them. Before them a wide grey shadow appeared and grew until it loomed wide, and they heard an endless rustle of leaves.

"Lothlórien!" cried Legolas. "Lothlórien! We have come to the eaves of the Golden Wood. Alas that it is winter!"

"Trees," said Jack heavily. "How… unusual." Daniel and Samantha exchanged an amused glance through the shadows.

"Lothlórien!" said Aragorn. "Glad I am to hear again the wind in the trees. Here let us hope that the virtue of the Elves will keep us tonight from the peril that comes behind."

"Elves?" asked Jack. "We're going to hope that the… Elves help us?"

"Jack…" Daniel shot him a warning look. "Remember the Nox?"

"I'm not likely to forget, am I?" snapped Jack, but he subsided. Aragorn nodded and stepped forward, but Boromir stood resolute and did not follow.

"Is there no other way?" he said.

"What other fairer way would you desire?" said Aragorn.

"A plain road, though it led through a hedge of swords," said Boromir. "Of this perilous land we have heard in Gondor, and it is said that few come out who once go in; and of that few none have escaped unscathed."

"Say not unscathed, but if you say unchanged, then maybe you will speak the truth," said Aragorn. "But lore wanes in Gondor if in the city of those who were once wise they now speak ill of Lothlórien. There is no other way for us."

"Then lead on!" said Boromir. "But it is perilous."

"Perilous indeed," said Aragorn, "fair and perilous; but only evil need fear it, or those who bring some evil with them. Follow me!"

"They talk almost as much as you do, these guys," said Jack with a grin to Daniel, but the other did not answer. Frowning, Jack saw a light in the eyes of his friend: a light that he had not seen for a long time, nor had he ever cared to see again. He shuddered. "C'mon," he said, grasping Daniel's shoulder. "We'll get left behind."

~~~

They walked on once more, passing a little over a mile before they came to a stream. After crossing to the opposite bank they sat and rested themselves, and Legolas sang a song of great beauty, telling the maiden Nimrodel and her lover. All the company listened entranced, but too soon his voice faltered, and he fell to explaining the rest of the tale. Daniel seemed keen to keep listening, but Frodo touched his arm, almost nervously.

"Daniel? Might I ask you something?"

"Of course," said Daniel, turning to him with a smile. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering, when Jack said that I took after you, what did he mean?"

Daniel frowned, searching his memory. Suddenly his expression cleared and he flushed, visible even through the darkness. "Oh," he said uncomfortably, "well, he didn't really…"

"I meant," interrupted Jack loudly, "that Daniel used to have this little habit of dying and living to tell the tale, well before we met you guys." As he had hoped, all four of the hobbits turned to Daniel with wide-eyed amazement.

"Jack is, as usual, exaggerating," Daniel said firmly. "I was… dead… once, but those were special circumstances…"

"Ra killed you," said Jack in an offhand voice as he examined his fingernails.

"Fine, twice, but that doesn't…"

"And Shyla's goons did."

"Jack…"

"And the thug in Hadante."

"Sam, he didn't kill me… quite…"

"And Nem."

"He didn't kill me, you just thought he did."

"Well, it was pretty convincing, memorial service and everything. And what about that light withdrawal?"

"I didn't…"

"Oh, yes you did, Dannyboy. Your heart stopped just before through the gate, and that was after the stunt on the balcony."

"Jack…"

"Were you not murdered by Apophis on the Nox world, Daniel Jackson?"

"So were Jack and Sam…"

"And you disappeared on the planet of the giant vaporous beings of which you told me."

"Teal'c! I was not dead, just out of phase. Will you give it a rest?"

And of course the radiation poisoning on Kelowna…"

"Which was the one I was counting, Jack, so…"

"Right!" Jack beamed at him. "That makes, what, eight times?"

"Not eight," Daniel muttered firmly, acutely aware that the hobbit's mouths, as well as their eyes, were now wide open. Fortunately, Aragorn chose that moment to approach and tell them that their best shelter would be found in the heights of the trees. Daniel frowned slightly, and Jack offered him a sympathetic look as he recalled his fear of heights, but on catching his eye Daniel set his jaw stubbornly. "That sounds reasonable," he said, watching as Legolas leapt lightly to catch a low branch on a nearby tree.

_Daro!_ said a sudden commanding voice from high in the tree. Legolas dropped back to earth in surprise and fear.

"Stand still!" he whispered to the others. "Do not move or speak!"


	14. Chapter 13

_**For Those That See - Chapter Thirteen**_

It did not take long for Legolas, Haldir and Frodo to reach an agreement and soon the Companies were installed upon flets high in the trees to pass the night. The hobbits were to pass the night with the Elves, and their companions been directed to a second tree. Jack had requested that SG-1 sleep on a third flet of their own, and after Haldir had directed one or two curious glances at Daniel, he had agreed. Daniel, for his part, had said nothing but shifted uncomfortably under the attention, distress flashing in his eyes. Within minutes the forest was silent, the hobbits exchanging only a few brief words before settling down, and the rest of the Fellowship not speaking at all, unless their voices were too soft to be heard over the rustling of leaves. Jack was keenly aware that SG-1 needed time together, time to regroup and settle themselves after the sudden rush of events that had left them all reeling, but he also saw exhaustion in the eyes of his companions, and so they settled down to sleep. Carter took the first watch, and Teal'c settled into some much-needed kel'no'reem. Daniel wrapped himself in his sleeping bag and curled up against the breeze, but as Jack dropped into slumber he vaguely noticed that Daniel seemed to be shivering slightly.

Jack woke to the sound of soft voices nearby. Checking his watch, he saw that it was not two hours later, and a glance to his left confirmed that Teal'c was still meditating. On the other side of the flet, their backs to him, the other members of his team were sitting in conversation, blankets twined around their shoulders. Their voices carried on the wind, and Jack did not move. Half-guilty, and half aware that he needed to know how his team were coping, he paused silently to listen.

"I don't know," Sam was saying. "He's… well, he's nice."

"Nice?" Jack could imagine the small smile on Daniel's face, the spark of amusement in his eyes. "I could tell you thought that much. He seems very attentive."

"He is." Carter would be blushing, her head dipped slightly, and she would grin the grin that somehow only Daniel with his gentle friendship had ever won from her. "He's… well, he's not really like any man I've ever met. He's strong, and chivalrous, but not overwhelmingly so, and…"

"And you like him?" Daniel's tone was teasing. "You could do a lot worse, Sam."

"It's completely inappropriate," Carter pointed out, apparently trying to convince herself as well as Daniel.

"Is it?" Daniel's voice switched now to the thoughtful yet argumentative tone that Jack had heard so often, mostly when he debated the pros and cons of the military. "It's not like you're talking about settling down and raising a family, Sam. There's nothing wrong with being attracted to someone."

"I know, but…"

Daniel's voice lowered. "Is it Jack?" Deciding suddenly that he'd eavesdropped enough, or perhaps that he didn't want to hear the answer, Jack coughed loudly and stirred, trying to make it look as natural as possible. By the time he had pulled himself up and blinked a few times for good measure, both Daniel and Sam were looking at him.

"Hey, kids," he said, untangling himself from his bedroll and ambling over to them. "Something up?"

"No, sir," replied Sam smartly. "There's been no activity at all."

"I just couldn't sleep," added Daniel with a shrug. Jack nodded.

"Alright, Carter, you get some rest. I'll take the next watch." Jack waited until she had moved off and settled down, then sat next to Daniel. He tried to look him in the face, but Daniel looked away, hunching his shoulders as if he knew what was coming. Which, Jack reflected, he probably did.

"I should probably try to get some more sleep as well…" he began, but Jack cut him off.

"Hold on for a second, Daniel," he said. "I just want… Look, how're you doing?"

"How? I'm fine, Jack." Daniel's tone was almost convincing, but the way he kept his head ducked was not. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. Daniel flashed him a look of annoyance.

"Yes, of course," he snapped. "What's it to you?" Jack raised an eyebrow, grinning infuriatingly, and waited it out while Daniel moved from annoyance through anger and frustration and finally settled on resignation.

"Would you just leave it, Jack?" he asked finally, his voice soft.

"Nope," said Jack brightly. "Last time I told you that we'd get through this together, right? It still holds."

"I appreciate that, Jack, but…"

"Ah!" Jack held up a finger in warning. "Before you say it, I do know what it's like going through the spin cycle. Went through it a few times myself, remember?"

"No," said Daniel softly, looking away into the treetops. Jack could have kicked himself; of all the subjects to broach, the one that caused Daniel the most discomfort was not the wisest choice. "Open mouth, insert foot," he muttered.

"What?" Daniel looked back at him, frowning in confusion.

"Oh, nothing. I take it there's still no joy on the old ascended memory front?" said Jack, deciding that now he'd broached the subject, he might as well blast on through with it.

Daniel shook his head. "Nothing," he confirmed. "I've more or less given up trying, to be honest. It doesn't bother me too much, these days."

"Doesn't look that way," said Jack. Daniel shrugged.

"No, I was wondering about that. I mean, my memory from my last trip through the sarcophagus isn't exactly crystal, but I do remember being aggressive and basically difficult to everyone, but I'm not now… at least, I don't think I am."

Jack nodded. "It's probably just your different state of mind. It's not like a major withdrawal, you only went through once; and last time we had the whole taking you away from Shyla thing to deal with. Here, it probably just enhancing your…"

"Melancholia?" suggested Daniel. "Plus a few shivers, I think. When did you get so insightful?"

Jack squirmed. "Like I said, I've…"

"…been there, done that." Daniel finished for him in understanding. He smiled tightly, and stood, drawing the blankets tighter around him. "I'd better try to get some sleep. My watch next?"

"Teal'c's," said Jack, not quite willing to interrupt Daniel's rest unless it was necessary. He knew very well that Teal'c would stand two watches himself rather than wake a team mate who was, or had been, ill. Daniel, of course, knew this just as well, so Jack was somewhat surprised that he nodded automatically before settling down in his blankets. Jack rose to his feet and stood surveying the forest for a few moments, but saw no sign of, well, anything. Glancing over at Daniel a few minutes later, he saw to his relief that his friend had fallen asleep, but he was still shivering fitfully. Tenderly, Jack leant down and covered him over with one of his own thick blankets, grateful that no-one was awake to bear witness.

From between half-closed lashes, Teal'c watched as the colonel knelt, ensuring that Daniel was securely cocooned in blankets. He smiled to himself, and resumed his meditation.

~~~

Aragorn did not know what had woken him, for as he sat up all was quiet in the dark of the Golden Wood. A swift glance around told him that Gimli and Legolas were well, for the latter sat straight-backed, gazing out into the wood with eyes that saw more than Aragorn's and lips that murmured a soft song through his eerie slumber, and the latter lay on his back, snoring into his beard. Then Aragorn noticed Boromir, who sat apart from them, his shoulders hunched against the cold. Frowning, he rose and walked over to him.

"I know you are guarded in your regard of the Elves," he said softly, lest they were awake and listening on the next flet. "But if you feel the need to stand watch, you should have spoken. One alone cannot bear the burden of all our safety through the night."

Boromir shook his head, fixing his gaze out into the woods and away from Aragorn. "I am not keeping watch," he said softly. "If you say there is safety within the Elven borders, then I take your word. But I find sleep elusive tonight."

Aragorn sat down next to him, imitating him to watch the gentle breeze whispering in the dark leaves. "What troubles you?" he asked.

"I do not know," replied Boromir. "That is, there are many things preying on my mind, and I can get no rest from them." Aragorn sat in silence, waiting to see if Boromir would speak further. He fancied he could name several of the worries Boromir carried, but some he would not broach against the others will, and one he would not speak of at all. For some minutes they sat in silence, until the wind carried a soft sound to their ears: a woman's gentle laughter. Boromir turned his head in response, and the tension in his shoulders eased slightly. Aragorn could not hide his smile, and when Boromir spied it his features dropped into an annoyed frown.

"She is a lovely woman," Aragorn ventured bravely. Boromir glared for a moment more, but then he relaxed into a slight smile.

"She is indeed," he replied. "I have never known a lady quite like her, unless it be Éowyn of Rohan."

"I do not know her," Aragorn said with a questioning voice. Boromir smiled.

"She is a noble lady," he said. "Very beautiful, and strong of both mind and body. But when last I saw her, she had fallen into grief, and I know not how to help her." He paused, and looked once more towards the flet where SG-1 rested. "Samantha is very like her, but with a freedom that Éowyn knows not. I have never known a woman who travels to battle as she does, and I have always held that war is the domain of men, but I wonder now if Éowyn would not be made stronger if she were free to it, like Samantha. Not that it matters," he added hastily, glancing at Aragorn as if seeking his opinion. "Nothing in the world would move her brother to allow her that kind of danger."

Aragorn nodded slowly. "Samantha has certainly proven herself an accomplished warrior," he said. "I wonder if all women from their world are so able."

"I am sure they are not," replied Boromir in a distracted voice. Aragorn fought not to chuckle as he watched the son of the Steward of Gondor lose himself in his thoughts. Gandalf had told him that Denethor despaired of his firstborn ever showing an interest in any woman, but perhaps all he had awaited was a woman with strength to match his. Smiling, Aragorn continued to sit with him in a silence more companionable than any conversation he had yet had with the other Man. Sounds drifted to their ears; the rustling of leaves, snatches of Legolas' whispered song, the call of some nocturnal bird. A few angry words emanated from SG-1's direction, but as the Men strained to listen for disturbances, the voices – Jack and Daniel, Aragorn thought – calmed and lowered once more, and then fell silent.

The wind stilled and the sickle moon shone bright through the trees, and from far off Aragorn fancied he heard new noises: the tread of many feet and a harsh laugh. Beside him Boromir tensed, and Legolas' song halted as he jerked awake. As one they rose to their feet, but before they could do anything Rúmil appeared upon the rope ladder. He spoke swiftly to Legolas, then disappeared once more. Boromir frowned.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"We are to remain here," whispered Legolas. "They are going to lead the orcs on into the wood; there are too many for us to take the battle. Farther in there are many Elves whose bows are swift. The orcs will not live to see the morning." He glanced at Aragorn, who nodded slowly.

"We must trust the Elves," he said. "I know that you fear for our safety, Boromir…"

"I do not," replied Boromir unexpectedly. "To place themselves in the path of orcs for the sake of those they do not know is an honourable feat indeed. I do not doubt the strength of the Elves to defeat the orcs." Legolas looked at him in surprise and pleasure, and Aragorn smiled slightly. Together the comrades sat and awaited the return of Rúmil, the silence now punctuated only by Gimli's snores.


	15. Chapter 14

_**For Those That See - Chapter Fourteen**_

"Excuse me? Are you crazy?"

Jack glared defiantly at Aragorn, his hand hovering ominously over his thigh holster. Beside him, Teal'c hefted his staff weapon menacingly. Gimli gave them an approving look, but the rest of the Company bore expressions of mingled frustration and annoyance. Aragorn stepped forward, raising his hand calmingly.

"Friends," he said, "you have heard our host's decree. We shall all be treated alike, and so all that go on must be blindfolded. Will you now break trust with us, you who passed with us through the depths of Moria?"

"I'm not trying to break anyone's trust," snapped Jack, "but there is no way in hell that I'm letting my team be led off blindfold through a strange wood on a strange planet. No way."

"I understand your reluctance," said Aragorn, "but if you seek a place of refuge and safety, then you must take this path. I am certain that the Lady will be able to aid you in your troubles."

"Not happening," said Jack insistently. "I am not putting my team in that kind of position…"

"Do you trust us so little?" asked Haldir.

"Well, clearly you don't trust us!" Jack turned a glare on him. "Or you wouldn't be asking us to go blindfold!"

"It is Aragorn who asks it," the Elf pointed out calmly. "We have only required that Gimli the Dwarf go blindfold."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Well, apparently Aragorn isn't about to see sense, like it maybe being a good idea if at least someone can see which way we're going, but…" Aragorn's face drew into a dark frown, but before he could speak Jack's tirade was cut off by another voice.

"Oh, for crying out loud, Jack! Just decide which way we're going, already! You're not going to change anyone's mind!" Jack turned angrily, ready to tear strips off Daniel for so publicly snapping at him, but puled up short when he saw that Daniel was slumped against a tree with his head resting heavily in his hands. Carter was hovering beside him, looking unsure and upset. Deciding a change of tactics might be in order, Jack motioned Teal'c closer.

"How's your blind awareness?" he asked. "Think you could reconstruct a path that you'd followed blindfold?"

Teal'c inclined his head slightly. "Indeed. Master Bra'tac trained me extensively in such abilities."

"Great!" Jack whirled abruptly to face Aragorn. "Change of plans, we're coming with you. Blindfolds and all." He clapped his hands sharply. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Sir?" Carter sounded both disbelieving and confused. Jack turned and gave her a meaningful look, then flicked his eyes towards Teal'c.

"Sure, Carter. It'll be fine."

~~~

Walking in darkness did not prove to be such a burden as many of the Company feared, for the ground beneath their feet was soft and smooth, and after a while they walked more freely, without fear of hurt or fall. Haldir spoke softly with the younger hobbits as they journeyed, exchanging Elven lore for tales of the Shire, but the rest for the most part walked in silence, marvelling at the sounds and smells that the forest brought to their heightened senses. Onward they filed, and to some of their number came a growing sense of ease and ancient trust, as they entered into the land of Lórien, where no shadow lay.

All that day the Company marched on, until they felt the cool evening come and heard the early night wind whispering among many leaves. When they halted they settled upon the ground to rest, for their hosts would not allow them to remove their blindfolds and they could not climb. Conversation had been limited all day, for some were still unsure of the accompanying Elves and none wished to speak or serious matters when they could not see who was listening. When they stopped, Jack had insisted that the Elves lead his team all to the same spot, and after a little confusion of calling they had mapped one another's locations. Beside them the hobbits sat in a group, and on their other side were the rest of the company. Teal'c smiled to himself as he placed each individual's location in his mind: even through the darkness the Company had maintained its instinct to keep the hobbits safely surrounded. It was very much a mirror of the way he and O'Neill automatically placed themselves on either side of Major Carter and Daniel Jackson.

"Alright, kids, how're you doing?" asked Jack when they were all settled.

"Fine," answered Daniel blandly. Jack went to exchange a look with Carter before remembering that he couldn't, knowing that they could all tell just as easily as he that Daniel was not fine. There seemed, however, little point in pursuing it just then.

"I'm fine, sir," echoed Carter.

"As am I," replied Teal'c.

"Sure? Everything okay, T?"

Knowing that the question referred to more than his own state, Teal'c repeated his assertion. Indeed, he was confident that he could lead them back along the path they had travelled, if necessary, even had he not been able to track their steps. He felt O'Neill relax fractionally beside them.

"Well, I'm not alright," he groused. "This damned blindfold itches, and my face is all sweaty. Think they'll let me take it off if I promised to keep my eyes closed?"

"I wouldn't count on it, sir," said Carter.

"No, I guess not. All right, whoever can find their MREs first, break them out. I guess we're going to have to eat them cold… has anyone even tried opening one of these things with their eyes shut before?"

"I have not," replied Teal'c as he dug confidently through his gear. Pulling out four MREs, he began to pass them around only to collide with Major Carter who had found hers at the same time.

"Oh, sorry Teal'c. Here you go, sir."

"How are we supposed to tell what flavour it is?" groused Jack.

"Take a bite and see?" suggested Carter brightly.

"They all taste of chicken anyway," Daniel pointed out.

"O'Neill," Teal'c said, cutting through the confusion of rustling noises. "Might we not share our food with the others. For them to construct a nutritious meal from that with which we have seen them eat would be most difficult."

"Succinctly put, T," muttered O'Neill, but after a moment's rustling he added four more MREs to those Teal'c had put down. "Hey! Guys! Food's coming down!" The others fell silent and Teal'c peeled open a container with difficulty and handed it to the hobbit nearest him – Pippin, judging by his small hands.

"Kindly pass these to the others," he said. "We have one for everybody."

Soon the Company was feasting on bland, cold Meals Ready to Eat courtesy of the USAF. The hobbits made a meal of talking about them long before they got to trying them, poking and sniffing at the food.

"What's this stuff?" asked Merry bluntly

"It's a complete, nutritiously balanced meal," Carter explained. "We always take them with us when we travel. Normally we heat them, but they're perfectly safe to eat cold."

"Is all the food where you come from like this?" he asked.

"Of course not!" said Pippin scornfully. "Have you forgotten that chocolate?"

"Oh!" said Sam suddenly. "It's, um… oh!"

"What is it, Sam?" asked Frodo, concerned.

"It's, um, squidgy, Mr. Frodo," said Sam unhappily.

"Squidgy?" repeated Jack. "What've you got? Could be anything."

"I don't know, sir," said Sam. "It's… there's a sauce, and these kind of squidgy tube things…"

"Macaroni cheese!" said Carter. "Try it, it's great. It's pasta, which is a kind of carbohydrate, in a cheese sauce.

"Cheese?" repeated Sam hopefully. There was a pause while he tasted it warily. "It tastes like… chicken," he said eventually.

At least they found it interesting, Jack thought glumly. For a moment he contemplated telling them about additives and artificial sweetener, but thought the better of it. That was a conversation he might never escape. Instead, he turned his attention back to his companions.

"Daniel?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"You better be eating that."

"Of course I am."

"Daniel…"

There was a sigh and a clattering noise, and Jack poised until he was certain that Daniel was eating, and not just trying to convince him of it. He knew him well enough to know that the first thing to go was eating when he was distracted by work, or depression, or anything, really. Satisfied, he returned his attention to his own vaguely chicken flavoured thing.

~~~

In the morning they went on again, walking without haste. At noon they halted, warm under the shining sun. Suddenly they heard the sound of many voices, and when pressed with swift questions, Haldir told them that they had met a host of Elves, hastening to guard the northern borders against Moria. The marauding orcs, he reported, had been waylaid and destroyed, save a remnant that had fled westward and were being pursued. A strange creature had also been seen, running with bent back and hands near the ground, beast-like and yet not a beast. It had eluded capture, and they had not shot it, not knowing whether it was good or ill, and it had vanished down the Silverlode.

"Also," said Haldir "they bring me a message from the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim. You are all to walk free, even the dwarf Gimli. It seems that the Lady knows much of your Company. New messages have come from Rivendell perhaps."

He removed the bandage first from Gimli's eyes. "Your pardon!" he said, bowing low. "Look on us now with friendly eyes! Look and be glad, for you are the first dwarf to behold the trees of the Naith of Lórien since Durin's Day!"

"Saved the best 'til last, did you?" muttered Jack as he fumbled with his blindfold, but gentle Elvish fingers eased it from him and he stood blinking in the sun, waiting for his eyes to adjust the light. As soon as he could look around, he let out a gasp despite himself.

Daniel chuckled. "Trees, Jack?" he teased.

"Pretty trees," Jack said with a shrug.

Daniel had to agree. Before them stood a great mound, covered with the greenest grass he had ever seen on any planet. Upon it grew two circles of trees as a double crown: the outer were leafless with bark of snowy white; the inner were tall trees yet arrayed with pale golden leaves. In the centre of all stood another mighty tree, bearing in its branches a white flet. The grass all around them was dotted with golden flowers like tiny stars, and white and pale green blooms swaying on slender stalks. Over all the sky was a clear and bright shade of blue.

"Behold! You are come to Cerin Amroth," said Haldir. "For this is the heart of the ancient realm as it was long ago, and here is the mound of Amroth, where in happier days his high house was built. Here ever bloom the winter flowers in the unfading grass: the yellow elanor, and the pale niphredil. Here we will stay awhile, and come to the city of the Galadhrim at dusk.

The company cast themselves down on the fragrant grass, except for Frodo who stood awhile lost in thought. Daniel had expected Sam to start examining the flowers and trees, wondering after them and asking his opinion as the only member of the team who had the patience to listen to her scientific spiel. When he turned to look for her, though, she was seated upon the grass, gazing around in awed content. Her eyes shone in the golden light, and for a brief second the image was marred as Daniel recalled the beautiful but deadly addictive light that had once held them all in its sway. But that thought was soon broken as Boromir moved to sit beside her, speaking softly, and she smiled brightly. Daniel had not seen her stress eased away like that in far too long, and he smiled to himself as he looked away. Sam deserved to be happy, perhaps more than anyone he had ever known.

Samwise spoke then, catching Daniel's attention. "It's sunlight and bright day, right enough," he said. "I thought that Elves were all for moon and stars: but this is more elvish than anything I ever heard tell of. I feel as if I was inside a song, if you take my meaning." Daniel thought he knew exactly what he meant. The burning headache and tremors under his skin that had been building all morning had departed, replaced by the warm softness of the air. The light swam before his eyes, casting itself in swirls and ripples that he was not certain the others could see, and if he strained he could almost hear the whisper of a melody on the breeze. He felt as if he had been here before, or seen it in some dream long-forgotten.

Haldir smiled at Frodo and Sam. "You feel the power of the Lady of the Galadhrim," he said. "Would it please you to climb with me up Cerin Amroth?"

To Daniel's surprise, Frodo turned and looked straight at him. "Will you come, Daniel?" he asked. Beside him, Jack blinked in surprise, but Daniel stilled him with a gesture and rose gracefully.

"I won't be long," he said. He walked to join Frodo and Sam, and as Haldir led them up the grass-clad slopes, time seemed to fall away and he felt that he was in a place that neither changes nor fades. This, too, he had known before, and he shivered involuntarily. "Oma," he whispered. Frodo glanced up at him, then reached to take his hand. Warmth from the contact spread from Daniel's fingertips and travelled up his arm, reminding him of another time, another small hand. Shifu, child of light…

Together they entered the circle of trees, and Haldir began to climb the flet. Frodo followed him, as did Sam, but Daniel remained at the foot of the tree, wondering. Still he felt the ghost of Frodo's touch on his hand, and he knew that Frodo too was aware of the connection, but how he knew, he could not say. Closing his eyes, he breathed deep and let the warm waves of sunlight and stillness wash over his mind. Had he desired it, he thought at that moment that he could ascend once more and walk the paths that no human could take, travelling with the Others.

When he opened his eyes, Frodo and Sam stood once more beside him, and together with Haldir they turned and walked away from the peak. At the hill's foot they found Aragorn, standing still and silent; in his hand was a small bloom of elanor, and a light was in his eyes. He was wrapped in some fair memory: and as Daniel walked on he heard him speaking with Frodo, telling him that his heart dwelt there ever. Daniel wished fervently that he could say the same, but the brief time upon the height of Cerin Amroth had been enough. He remembered now the pain and the anguish of watching Jack die, of knowing that all his friends and family on Abydos were doomed, and the heavy knowledge that he would not be allowed to intervene.

"What ails you?" asked a soft voice, and Legolas appeared beside him, walking silently. A little way away, Daniel noticed that Jack was watching him with a calculating eye. He fought to summon a smile, but found he could not.

"I'm fine," he said lamely.

Legolas tilted his head, and his eyes softened in concern. "Forgive me, friend," he said, "but you are not. What darkness has your heart discovered in the very heart of Elvendom on earth?"

"I can't tell you," replied Daniel heavily. "Even if I understood myself, it isn't something I can really share." He nodded and walked swiftly to where Jack sat, silencing him with a look understood and contenting himself with the comforting silence of a friend willing to ask no questions.


	16. Chapter 15

_**For Those That See - Chapter Fifteen**_

The Companies journeyed on through the falling dusk and into the twilight, when their guides lit their silver lamps. The path to the gates of Caras Galadhon was long, but paved with smooth white stone that was kind to the feet. At last they crossed a bridge to reach the great gates of the city. Haldir knocked and spoke, and the gates opened soundlessly; but of guards Frodo could see no sign. Quickly they passed through a deep lane between the ends of the wall, and though they saw no others the sound of voices came from about them and from above. Far away up on the hill they could hear the sound of singing falling from on high like soft rain upon leaves. Even Jack, with his many sardonic comments, was awed into silence.

They went along many paths and climbed many stairs, until they drew to a halt before a wide lawn graced by a shimmering fountain. Upon the south side of the lawn stood the mightiest of all the trees; its great smooth bole gleamed like grey silk, and up it towered, until its first branches, far above, opened their huge limbs under shadowy clouds of leaves. Beside it a broad white ladder stood, and at its feet three Elves were seated. They sprang up as the travellers approached.

"Here dwell Celeborn and Galadriel," said Haldir. "It is their wish that you should ascend and speak with them." One of the Elf-wardens then blew a clear note on a small horn, and it was answered three times from far above. "I will go first," said Haldir. "Let Frodo come next and with him Legolas. The others may follow as they wish. It is a long climb for those who are not accustomed to such stairs, but you may rest on the way."

Upon the highest talan, Frodo found himself entering a chamber of oval shape, in the midst of which grew the great mallorn. It was filled with soft light, and many Elves were seated there. On two chairs beneath the bole of the tree sat Celeborn and Galadriel, who stood to greet their guests. Very tall they were, and the Lady no less than the Lord; and they were grave and beautiful. They were clad wholly in white, and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold, and the hair of the Lord was of silver long and bright; but no sign of age was upon them, unless it be in the depths of their eyes.

Haldir led Frodo before them, and the Lord welcomed him in his own tongue. The Lady Galadriel said no word but looked long upon his face.

"Sit now beside my chair, Frodo of the Shire!" said Celeborn. "When all have come we will speak together."

Each of the Fellowship he greeted courteously by name as they entered. "Welcome son of Thranduil!" he said. "Too seldom do my kindred journey hither from the North."

"Welcome Aragorn, son of Arathorn! It is eight and thirty years of the world outside since you came to this land; and those years lie heavy upon you. But the end is near, for good or ill. Here lay aside your burden for a while!"

"Welcome Gimli son of Glóin! It is long indeed since we saw one of Durin's folk in Caras Galadhon." As Gimli, last of the Fellowship to arrive, bowed low, Celeborn broke off, looking past him to where SG-1 had entered the chamber together. For the briefest moment he paused, clearly thrown by their appearance. Frodo realised he had forgotten how strange they must seem to others. The Lady Galadriel, though, gave no sign of surprise either in her serene countenance or in the light of her eyes. After a moment Celeborn bowed and bade them approach.

Jack glanced to his team, grouped on either side of him, and started forward. They had moved only a few steps, though, when Samantha paused, resting a hand on him arm. She murmured something that Frodo could not hear; neither could the assembled Elves, if the flashing of their eyes was any guide. Jack froze in place, frowning up at the Lady, and then nodded. Frodo saw that all of their hands had dropped automatically to hover over their sheathed weapons. Jack glanced around again, as if gathering opinions, and his eyes fell upon Daniel at the same moment Frodo's did. He was gazing up at the Lady, not entranced but frowning intently, and when he turned to whisper to Jack it was with an earnest and clear expression. One or two more hissed exchanges passed between them, and then they straightened and approached once more, all of their expressions wary, all of their bodies tense and alert. Around them, the Elves were exchanging glances, and Aragorn seemed distinctly uncomfortable. Frodo could not imagine that many folk, if any, had been discourteous in the presence of the Lord and Lady.

Finally Celeborn spoke, greeting them in his own language. Daniel responded in kind, his words tentative but well chosen. The Lord smiled. "I fear I must ask you to wait," he said in the Common Tongue. "We will speak with you, but we must attend on the Company from Rivendell: their task is pressing. And there is one I do not see, of whom I would hear ere anything else passes." Daniel glanced at Jack, whose hand was twitching over his sidearm, and he nodded in agreement.

As Haldir led SG-1 away, Frodo could not help feeling a little relieved. He had not shared his burden with them, and although he suspected that Daniel knew that there was something unspoken, none of them had asked anything. Frodo was surprised to realise how much joy he had in companions who were not pressed upon him by the urgency of his errand. But along with his relief came a sense of unease, as though the mingled intrigue and alarm he had recognised in Daniel's eyes were mirrored in his own mind.

Of course, it was just as possible that there was something about SG-1 that none of the Company had discovered.

~~~

Jack sat down heaving on the flet that Haldir had directed them to. Pulling off his cap, he ran his hands through his hair and allowed his head to hang, just for a moment. "So, what?" he asked the team in general. "She's a Goa'uld?"

"Yes, sir," said Carter. "I'm afraid there's no question about it, I could sense her symbiote more strongly the closer we got."

"Great," Jack shot a glare up towards the chamber. "Daniel, want to explain what you were going on about?"

Daniel threw him a look bearing just a hint of martyrdom, and continued pacing the path he had set himself back and forth across the flet. "I couldn't tell you whether or not she's a Goa'uld," he said, "but I can tell you she's not that far from ascension."

"What?" Simultaneously, Jack and Sam whirled to stare at him, a task made harder by his persistent back-and forth motion. Daniel nodded.

"There's something about all of the Elves, even this place, that is, well, of the Others," he said, not breaking his stride. "I've been more and more aware of it as we've gotten closer to the city. The Lady, though… she's the closest of any of them to actually ascending. The Lord's not far behind, either."

"How can you tell?" demanded Jack, slightly dizzy. "D'you suddenly have an ascension-o-meter?"

"How can Sam tell when there's a Goa'uld in someone?" Daniel countered.

"As close as we can tell, it's a sort of neurological reaction…" Sam trailed off when she was fixed by scarily identical looks from both Jack and Daniel. "Never mind," she amended hastily.

"I can just tell," Daniel finished firmly.

"Right, so this is like Anubis?" asked Jack. "Half ascended, half… for cryin' out loud, Daniel, stay still!"

Daniel whirled on the spot to face him. "No!" he said brightly. "It's not like Anubis at all, this feels natural. If I had to guess, I'd say the Elves are, as a species, on the brink of ascending." Jack had been somewhat distracted by Teal'c's amused expression when Daniel completely ignored his outburst, and he had to spend a moment running Daniel's words through his head again. By the time he had, Teal'c had already posed the obvious next question.

"Is that possible, Daniel Jackson?"

"I can only guess, but from what we're seeing here, I'd say so," said Daniel slowly. "They're not all at the same stage, some will ascend before others, and probably some have already chosen not to, or not to yet, but they're close." He stood for a minute in silent thought, and then took up his pacing again. Jack growled.

"So, what?" he asked again. "We've got a partially ascended apparently good very pretty Goa'uld… what do we do? Shoot? Run? Make nice?"

"I believe we should attempt to learn all that we can about these beings," said Teal'c placidly. "They have not harmed or imprisoned us." Looking around, Jack saw that Sam and Daniel were both nodding agreements. Behind them, a familiar form appeared upon the ladder: Aragorn was leading the Company down. Jack stood.

"Looks like we're up, kids," he said.

~~~

When they re-entered the chamber, they found that all the Elves had departed save the Lord and Lady. "Guess they don't want the kids to hear," muttered Jack as they approached, but he met the gaze of the Lord with a surprisingly open expression.

"Tell us," said Celeborn without preamble, "Who are you? From the Company we have learned your names, but little else. Whence came you here?"

"Funny," said Jack flippantly, "we were wondering the same thing about you. Or, at least, about her." He looked across at the Lady, but she did not meet his eyes, and no response was forthcoming. After a moment, and a surreptitious glance as his team, he shrugged. "Right. Well, you're a Goa'uld, ma'am. But you're not in touch with Goa'uld central, or you'd know who we are."

Slowly the Lady raised her eyes to meet his, and they glowed suddenly gold, but her face was calm. "We are not Goa'uld," she said softly. "We are Tok'ra."

"Really?" said Jack, raising a sardonic eyebrow. "Well, we've never heard of you, and we know the Tok'ra. And the Tok'ra know us."

"I have not been in the contact with the Tok'ra High Council for many thousands of years, as they are measured here," she said coolly. "I came here by accident, and my host was too badly injured to survive. I blended with an inhabitant of this world, and this is my home."

"Who are you?" asked Sam. "Galadriel is not a Tok'ra name."

The Lady smiled, and it seemed to all the Fellowship that they had never before seen such beauty. "The name of my host is Nerwen," she said, "and my symbiote is called Artanis."

"'Grace'," Daniel translated softly.

"In the language of the Goa'uld, yes," she said, "but in the tongue of this place, Artanis signifies 'Noble woman'."

"And yet you take the name Galadriel?" Daniel gave her a politely questioning look.

She bowed her head in assent. "Galadriel is the name given to us by our Lord Celeborn," she said. "We were blended before we met him, so Galadriel belongs equally to both Nerwen and Artanis, and is dearest to our heart." She gave the Lord a fond, almost shy look, and he took her hand tenderly.

Sam had listened with interest, and now turned to Jack. "The name checks out, sir," she said. "Artanis was declared a fallen war hero by the Tok'ra when she disappeared while on a mission. But that was even before Ra had ascended to dominance on Earth."

"Long time no see, huh?" Jack replied softly. "So, we're going with trusting them?" He looked to Sam, then to Daniel, and finally to Teal'c, and saw in all of their eyes the same thought that his instincts had led him to. They could trust these Elves. He didn't know how he could know this any more than the others could, but it had been a lesson hard learned to trust his instincts, as well as Teal'c's and Sam's. And woe betide the man who disregarded Daniel Jackson's intuitive sense of trust.

"How do you know of me?" asked Galadriel, turning a piercing gaze upon Sam, who shifted uncomfortably.

"I was the last host of Jolinar of Malk'shor," she said.

"Jolinar is dead?"

"She died to save my life," replied Sam. "I hate to have to tell you this, but many of the Tok'ra have died in recent years. Anubis has regained power and picked up some very powerful technology along the way, and…"

"What of the System Lords?" asked Galadriel, silver grief washing over her bright eyes. "Ra has ever held sway over Anubis."

"Well, the thing is, Ra is dead," said Daniel. "We… sort of… we did that."

"You?" She gazed at them in stunned silence.

"Not just him," said Jack with feigned cheer. "We got Seth…"

"Cronos…" said Daniel.

"Hathor…"

"Sokar…"

"Not to forget everybody's favourite, Apophis… killed him what, three times? Are we missing anyone?" Jack glanced around at his team before looking to Galadriel, who he was glad to note, was looking faintly stunned.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"They are warriors of the Tau'ri," said Teal'c, drawing himself up to his full and formidable height. "Together we have fought many battles and won many victories, and we have freed many Jaffa and humans from the dominion of the Goa'uld. These are the mightiest of their people."

"Really?" Jack grinned at Teal'c.

"How did you come here?" asked Celeborn.

"We got here by stargate," said Daniel. "You do know there's a stargate here, don't you?" Both the Lord and Lady nodded. "Well, it got us here, but there was an avalanche, and unburying it is going to be one hell of a job…"

"What do you wish?" asked Celeborn. "Do you seek to return to your world, or do you intend to continue your journey with Frodo?"

SG-1 turned as one to look enquiringly at Jack. He hesitated, holding Galadriel's gaze for a second before dropping his eyes. "We haven't decided yet," he said finally.

"You are welcome to rest here with us, for as long as you need," said Celeborn kindly. "We will consider what we may do to aid you. For now, much grief and weariness lies upon you. Cast it off! Here you may be healed, as will your friends who await you on the forest floor."

Recognising that the brief interview was drawing to a close, Jack nodded. "Thanks," he said. "We appreciate your generosity." He began to turn away, but Daniel raised a hand to still him.

"Forgive me," he said to Galadriel, "but may I ask: does the name Oma Desala mean anything to you?" She looked him sternly in the eye and Daniel held her gaze, unwavering. Finally she smiled.

"It does," she said, "although few in this world know it, and fewer now than in the past. The people of this world name her Yavanna, and many have heard her song, although few indeed have seen her."

"Thank you," said Daniel. He bowed, and gave Jack a look that told him he would explain later. Together, SG-1 left the chamber and began the long descent to the forest floor.


	17. Chapter 16

_**For Those That See - Chapter Sixteen**_

The ball flew high in the air, brushing the lowest branches of the tall trees before succumbing to gravity and falling swiftly to earth to be caught in its owner's attentive hand. A moments pause, and it repeated the exercise, accompanied by a sigh from the instigator.

Jack was bored. Tired, and bored.

All night the soft singing that permeated the forest had gone on, relentlessly weaving itself into the fabric of the air and keeping him just a hand's breadth from slumber. Daniel, by contrast, had fallen fast asleep almost before they reached the tent that the Company were already occupying, the past few day's events finally catching up with him. Carter had waited only long enough to establish that they would be splitting watches three ways before following suit, and Jack had proceeded to stay awake through both his watch and hers. He would have taken Teal'c's, too, if the Jaffa had not threatened him with physical retribution if he did not attempt to sleep. Understanding that he was in danger of being knocked out, Jack had retired to his sleeping bag and lay listening to the never-ending singing mingling with Daniel's soft breathing beside him. They went together almost too well.

It wasn't that they were singing that bothered Jack, per se. It was the words themselves, or perhaps the melody, or some quality in the song that was getting to him. It reminded him a little too closely of bright lights, soft warm air and a glowing figure that said "Tell Jacob to stop," and "I'll miss you guys," and all the things that had come after, all the things that featured frequently in his not-quite-nightmares. He wondered if Daniel slept more comfortably with the singing, or if he was just exhausted. Maybe the reminder of all he had lost would have haunted him and kept him awake, had he been conscious enough to register it. Come to think of it, he didn't know if the Others even slept; that was just one more point on the list of questions they could never ask Daniel, because even if he had known once, well, now he didn't.

"Coffee, sir?" Carter caught his attention by waving a mug that smelt enticingly of caffeine in his direction. She had, of course, been righteously indignant to find that he had taken her watch, but had softened when she saw the tired red of his eyes. Accepting the mug with a grateful nod, he wondered if she was just trying to wake him up so that she could go back to being annoyed. Jack took a swig of coffee as he watched her wander over to disturb Daniel. He'd been hunched over a notebook, recognisably one of his mission journals, for a while now and had been oblivious to the world, but he glanced up as she approached and favoured her with a grateful smile. Apparently coffee was one of the few things able to permeate the academic fog in which he was wrapped. Nice to know that some things never change, Jack thought.

He continued to watch Carter as she walked, back over to Teal'c who waited by the fire with her own mug, and then on to pace the clearing, kneeling to examine a plant that had caught her attention. In the morning light of the forest, her hair seemed to shine like spun gold. Apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed, for Boromir soon rose and made his way over. They sat together and spoke for a long while, at least long enough for Jack's attention to wander back to the tennis ball. Briefly, he toyed with the idea of throwing it at his oblivious archaeologist's head, but decided he couldn't face dealing with an irritable and over-protective Jaffa just now. He threw it back up in the air instead, wondering if the Elves would be upset if he began knocking the leaves from their branches. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Merry and Pippin were watching him with interest.

"Sir!" Carter appeared as if from nowhere, startling him and making him fumble the catch. He snagged the ball on the rebound and looked up at her.

"What is it, Carter?"

"Sir, some of the plant life here is amazing. I was hoping to scope out a wider area, take a few samples? The trees alone are unlike anything native to earth, and it may be quite valuable."

"You want to go now?" Jack squinted up at her in surprise. Geeky scientist she may be, but Carter wasn't normally this enthusiastic over shrubs. Computers and things with flashing lights, maybe, but not plants.

"Just an hour, sir? The area appears secure, and..." she hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. Something clicked in Jack's mind, and he looked past her to seem Boromir hovering in the background, clearly waiting and obviously nervous.

"Right," he said, a little more snappishly than he intended. "Boromir's offered to show you around, has he?"

"Actually, sir, I suggested that..." Sam was fumbling for words. "It's a good opportunity to find out about the political state of things, sir. He's in the ruling family of one of their nation states, and if we are going ahead with helping these people, we're going to need all the information we can get."

"Of course we are," said Jack with a sigh. "Go on. Take your walk, find things out. Enjoy the plants."

"Sir..." she hesitated, her expression at once uncomfortable and unfathomable. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.

"Carter! Go. Walk. Talk. Explore. Have fun." She turned and scuttled away, if a Major in the United States Air Force could scuttle. Jack watched as she reached Boromir, who smiled and turned to join her. Together, they walked out of the clearing and disappeared among the trees. An unreasonable amount of frustration and irritation rose in Jack's chest, and he turned on his better judgement and threw the tennis ball at Daniel's head.

With reflexes far better suited to a ninja than an archaeologist in mid-sentence, Daniel reached out and snatched the approaching missile out of the air. A quick flick of his wrist sent it hurtling back across the clearing towards Jack, and the game was on.

~~~

"I wonder what the Lord and Lady had to say to them?"

Pippin was reclining on the grass, enjoying the warm sunshine upon his face and chattering, more to himself than to the other hobbits, who were sitting nearby. Merry nudged him lazily with one toe.

"Whatever it was," he said. "You aren't likely to find out. Don't even think of going and asking them."

"Certainly not!" Frodo looked up from the patterns he had idly been tracing on the ground. "Their business is their own, as is ours; and I don't have to tell you, Pippin, not to breathe a word about the Quest."

"No, of course not," said Pippin impatiently. "But they must find out eventually, surely? If they are to be going on with us, I mean."

"We don't know that they will be," Merry pointed out. "All we really know is that they couldn't get home the way they came, whatever that was. I never did understand. Anyway, if the Elves can help them, then I should imagine they will go home."

"Do you think?" Pippin said. "Everyone thought we were going to go home, or at least that I was, and here we are. What do you think, Frodo?"

"I don't know," said Frodo slowly. "I know Daniel would stay, if it were just him. But the others… I think they would want to help, but if I understand them then it's not really a decision they can make. Perhaps they have to leave."

Pippin nodded thoughtfully, but before he could speak a sudden movement distracted. Jack and Daniel had started playing a swift game of toss-and-catch where they sat. Pippin held out for all of three seconds before he cast a look at Frodo that was an odd blend of apology and eagerness, and took off across the clearing to see if he could join in. Frodo chuckled softly as Daniel flicked the ball towards him as he approached, and Pippin leapt to catch it.

"Frodo?"

Frodo glanced up to see that Merry had moved and was hovering beside him uncertainly. "What is it?" he asked.

"May I ask you something?" said Merry.

"Of course," said Frodo, restraining himself from pointing out that he just had. Instead, he waited quietly while Merry settled beside him.

"How do you know Daniel would stay?" he said at length. Frodo frowned.

"Well, I don't know that he would," he clarified, "but I feel that he would. You know how people have said that I have a quality, something that reminds them of elves, about me? Well, that is how I see Daniel. There's a light to him."

"Is it the same thing that people see in you?" asked Merry.

"You are the better judge of that than I," said Frodo with a smile. "I cannot see it in myself. I am going to ask Legolas about it, when I have the opportunity."

Merry nodded. "You would like them to stay," he said, suddenly perceptive. Frodo nodded.

"I would," he said, "very much."

____

Boromir could not help but smile at Samantha's delight. This land was new to him too, but he did not exclaim with wonder over the shining gold of the trees, or the new beauty of the flowers. He had wondered at them, but Samantha spent many minutes pouring over them, examining their minute details with a mixture of calculation and joy. He found that he did not mind, choosing rather to appreciate the way her eyes sparkled with delight.

"Sorry," she said yet again, pushing herself back to her feet and brushing the dirt off her hands. "You were saying, your father is the Steward of your nation?"

"Yes," said Boromir, "until the King returns." He spoke by rote, but she immediately lit upon the new information.

"What King?" she asked. "If your family has ruled for generations, then he must have been away a long time." There was a slight wariness in her eyes that Boromir could not account for.

"The King…" Boromir frowned. Aragorn's claim was as yet untested and known to so few. Should he ever stand before Denethor and make plain his intention, Boromir knew that the struggle would be bitter, and he knew that now was not the time to delve into that particular den of orcs. "It is little more than a saying," he said eventually. "Upon a time, Gondor was ruled by a great line of kings, Men of the West. But that time is long past, and there are none to remember them. Some say that the King will one day return, and bring the glory of old with him, but there are few who hold the belief or hope of it."

"What do you believe?" she asked.

"I do not hold out hope," said Boromir honestly. "But if a King, a true King were to return to Gondor… we have never had more need of it."

"Are things really that bad?" Samantha stumbled slightly on a root. Acting on reflex, Boromir grasped her arm to support her, and as she regained her balance their eyes met, and she smiled.

After a long moment, they walked on, and she prompted him with a giggle, as he had forgotten that she had asked a question.

"I beg your pardon," he said, embarrassed. "Gondor… Yes, Gondor is in need. The Enemy presses ever closer around our borders, winning greater victories than he has been allowed for many years. I fear for my people."

"I'm sorry," she murmured compassionately. "Can you tell me more about this Enemy? It's possible that we may be able to help you, in some way."

"You are truly kind, Samantha," said Boromir with a rare smile. They passed a tree laden with flowers, and as she exclaimed with fresh wonder, he too reached out to run his fingertips lightly over the unseasonal blossoms. A single, perfect white flower fell seemingly of its own accord into his outstretched palm. On impulse he turned and handed it to Samantha without a word. Gently she took it, her fingertips brushing his, and Boromir was rewarded with a smile that was at once shy and brilliant.

____

Some time later, Sam and Boromir drew to a mutual startled halt as they returned to the clearing. The marquee, the fire, the various posts around the area had all been abandoned as both the Fellowship and SG-1 had been inexorably drawn into a group, seated and standing, playing a swift and complex game of catch with one tennis ball and several apples. Teal'c had joined Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli in a pretence of nonchalance, despite the way each kept an intent eye on the game and happily joined in when a missile came their way. Jack, Daniel and the hobbits, on the other hand were laughing, teasing and generally trying to distract one another as they played. Grinning, Sam made her way over to her team-mates, Boromir following with poorly concealed interest.

Eventually the game drew to a halt, as the hobbits by mutual consent announced that it was well past lunch time and set to preparing food for the companies. Daniel and Sam pulled some lighter blocks from their packs - at Jack's request they had not yet used their gas units, as they had no idea what they would be facing and how long they may be needed - and quickly had a fire burning merrily and water heating for coffee. A little way away, Jack had been speaking with Aragorn and Legolas, and now he walked over, motioning Teal'c to join them.

"Aragorn says they're going to stay for a while," he said. "I don't think they know what their next move is yet. He also said he'd like to speak to us about our plans, so we need to work some out, I guess. They're happy for us to hang out with them for the meantime."

"Well, we don't have a way home," said Sam bluntly, "short of going all the way back to the gate and trying to dig our way through the avalanche. I really don't think we can do it."

"Sounds familiar," Jack muttered. Daniel, Sam and Teal'c exchanged uncomfortable glances as they remembered three months of determined searching while their commanding officer dug and despaired and finally resigned himself to beginning a new life on Euronda. None of them particularly wanted to go anywhere near that one again.

"We might have a plan B," said Daniel hurriedly, before the silence could stretch into discomfort. "Galadriel suggested that she might be able to help us. Admittedly she got stranded here, but it's possible that she has some technology or intelligence that might help us."

"Even if she doesn't," said Sam, "General Hammond will have sent to the Tok'ra by now, if they couldn't establish a wormhole - and I'm guessing they couldn't, since we've had no hint of radio contact. We could have a tel'tac here any day."

"It is by no means certain that the Tok'ra are within range and capability of reaching us here," said Teal'c cheerlessly. "It may be many months before such contact is possible."

"Thank you, Teal'c." Jack sighed. "So, sitting around waiting for a Tok'ra here or a Tok'ra out there? Anything else?"

"Not really, sir," said Sam. "I think Daniel's right, we need to talk to Galadriel. In fact, we need to gather as much intelligence as we can. I know Moria didn't work out, but it does look like the Asgard were here, so maybe there's something like the Hall of Thor's Might somewhere here. It's probably worth finding out about this enemy of theirs, as well: from what Boromir told me he's been around for centuries, in one form or another. It's entirely possible that he's a Goa'uld. And to be honest, sir, we've had a pretty hectic few days. It wouldn't hurt to make sure we all get some rest." Her eyes flicked to Daniel, who produced a great impression of not having noticed. While he was not obviously unwell, there was still a discomfort about him that was setting the others on edge. Hopefully a few days of rest would be enough to banish the last vestiges of the sarcophagus' effects.

"So," Jack clapped his hands. "Some rest, some relaxation, cultural exchange…"

Something about his voice set off warning bells for his team. "What are you thinking of, O'Neill?" demanded Teal'c.

Jack grinned. "I wonder if there's fishing?"

"I wonder," echoed Daniel. "As a people they seem remarkably conscious of the environment, rather like the Nox. I'm not sure if they would approve of our killing their animals. We want them to help us, remember."

"Daniel!" Jack sighed in exasperation. "As my grandpa said, you don't fish for fish, you fish for fishing."

"No, he didn't."

"Yes, he… what?"

"Your grandfather didn't say that, Jack," said Daniel, rolling his eyes. "MacGyver's grandfather said that."

"Close enough," muttered Jack. Sam's eyebrows had climbed within millimetres of her hairline.

"You watch MacGyver, Daniel?" she laughed.

"Teal'c introduced me," he explained with a grin. "He thought I'd enjoy the Lost Treasure of Atlantis."

"Who is MacGyver?"

Jack leapt out of his skin and turned sharply to face the questioning voice. Damn, but one of the hobbits had sneaked up on him again! It was Pippin, all wide eyes and innocence as he watched them curiously. Judging by the group gathering around the fire, he guessed that the youngster had been sent to fetch them for the meal, even if his curiosity had waylaid him at the crucial moment.

"MacGyver is a true hero," he said with a grin, clambering to his feet. "C'mon, I'll tell you about him while we eat." Pippin's face lit up like a beacon and he more or less bounced back the way he had come, already chattering to Jack. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed, each trying to smother their amusement with spectacularly little success.


	18. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, and I don't own Stargate SG-1, or any of the characters, settings, scenarios or stories associated therewith. This is done for love with no profit being made whatsoever.

A/N: Thanks very much Rabidsamfan for the beta.

_**For Those That See, Chapter 17**_

"Frodo?"

"Yes, Merry?"

"Are you awake?"

"No, Merry."

Merry chuckled and pushed up to a sitting position, looking down at his cousin. "You sounded like you were awake," he observed. "Is it the singing? I miss it too." That night, for the first time, the singing of the elves had quietened at nightfall. Legolas had seemed to expect it and would not be drawn into details of their customs, so Merry had assumed that their period of immediate mourning had passed. He was uncertain of the time, but by his reckoning a week had passed since they entered Lothlórien.

"I do miss the singing," agreed Frodo. "I know it was grief, but it was so soothing - almost like they were feeling it for us, so we didn't have to feel it ourselves." He shivered despite the warm air. Beside him, Pippin muttered and turned over in his sleep, and by mutual consent Frodo and Merry moved out into the dappled moonlight between their shelter and SG-1's tents. For a moment they stood in the stillness, until a sound from one of the tents disturbed them. A soft moan, and a snatched gasp for breath that sounded anything but comfortable. Uncertain if they should go, but seemingly unable to stop themselves, Merry and Frodo crept closer, moving softly enough that they did not disturb Samantha, who kept watch on the other side of the tent.

~~~~~

Daniel awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Cold sweat lay in beads on his brow, and his skin was flushed in the darkness. Outside all was quiet - the singing of the previous nights had ceased, leaving the seemingly enchanted forest quiet. Trying to regain control of his breath, he lay back down, just as Jack sat up.

"Alright, what was that?" he said shortly.

"Just a bad dream," said Daniel. "How come you're awake? There's no singing."

"That was not just a bad dream," insisted Jack. "Whatever it was, it was you keeping me awake. Now what aren't you telling me?"

"No..."

"Ah!"

"I..."

"Hey!"

"Jack!"

"I don't want to hear it, Daniel!" snapped Jack. "No excuses, no bad dreams, don't you try to BS me. You're in withdrawal from that damned sarcophagus, aren't you?"

Daniel sat up, drawing his knees to his chest and resting his forehead gently on them. "I thought I was over it," he said. "I seemed fine."

Jack sighed and shifted closer, resting a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "I know," he said. "I thought you were doing fine too. You certainly seemed to be. But we'll get you through this, like we did before. Right?"

Daniel nodded slightly, without raising his head from his knees. "We'll get through it," he said, his voice muffled through his knees.

"Right," said Jack. "So, you need singing?" He took a deep breath. "Ten green bottles, hanging on the wall..."

Daniel rolled over onto his side and buried his head in his arms. "Anything but that!" he called over the sound of Jack singing tunelessly in his ear.

~~~~~

Outside the tent, Carter turned in surprise at the sudden onset of singing from one of the tents she was guarding, and Frodo and Merry instinctively leaned back into the shadows. Merry tugged Frodo's sleeve, and together they slipped away.

"What do you think Jack meant by withdrawal?" Merry asked. Frodo shook his head.

"Daniel told me that last time he went into one of those tomb things that healed him, he went sort of funny."

"Funny how?"

"Funny... well, sort of evil. But only for a while."

"Evil for a while?" Merry stared at Frodo. "Is this the special man you've been talking about for days on end? Evil?"

"Not evil, just... lost. I guess like he'd put on a Ring for too long, only he came back from it, he was fine eventually. I'm sure he'll be fine again."

"I'm not," said Merry shortly. "I'm telling Aragorn, and that's that. If he's dangerous..."

"Merry, I'm sure he's not dangerous!"

Merry stopped and turned on Frodo. "Listen to me, cousin. We can't take that chance. If he's fine, then that's all well and good, but if he's not we cannot risk the Quest and we certainly cannot risk you. I think we need to wake Aragorn and tell him."

Frodo sighed. "Do you not think it can wait until morning?"

"No, Frodo. I think we should talk to Aragorn now."

~~~~~

The pale gold of dawn broke through the trees as Aragorn, Merry and Frodo sat in grim conference. They had debated the subject backwards and forwards throughout the night without finding an easy answer. Daniel was a good man - if Frodo was to be believed, a special man - and neither Merry nor Aragorn had any desire to doubt Frodo's word. But if he was a danger, then that needed to be addressed, and quickly. Aragorn rose as the sun began to glint on the leaves of the trees, and made his way towards the slightly separate camp that SG-1 kept. He was greeted immediately by Teal'c, and Aragorn was pleased to see his swift reaction to an approach. He was certainly a boon to his people, and had he been born on this world would no doubt have made an excellent ranger, the strange hue of his skin only serving to camouflage him better.

"Good morning," began Aragorn. "I am sorry to trouble you, but I need to speak with Daniel."

"Daniel Jackson is still resting..." began Teal'c, but as he spoke a yell came from within Daniel and Jack's tent, followed by a series of shouted curses from Jack. Both Aragorn and Teal'c rushed to the tent. Daniel was lying on the ground having some form of a seizure, his arms and legs trembling. Jack was doing his best to restrain him.

"Teal'c!" he yelled. "Get Carter and a medkit, now!" The Jaffa rushed to do his bidding, and Aragorn hurried forward without being asked to help move Daniel out into the open. The yelling had woken the rest of the Fellowship, save Legolas who had taken to journeying through the forest rather than sleep. Boromir and Gimli were alert for action, and Pippin and Sam followed more slowly, blinking the sleep from their eyes. Aragorn and Jack held Daniel still as best they could while Carter scrambled over clutching an ampule and a needle.

"Morphine, sir. It should calm him, at least for a bit." Jack nodded his assent and she drew the medicine and injected it with a practised hand. After a few minutes his thrashings ceased, and Jack and Aragorn sat back on their heels and looked around at the audience that had gathered.

"Tell us what ails him," asked Aragorn. "We may be able to help, if it is something from our world that has done this..." Jack gave him a knowing look and he fell silent, abashed to have been caught out discussing someone behind his back. After a moment, though, Jack spoke.

"There is one thing that might work," he said hesitantly. "That is, it might be a coincidence, I don't know, but..."

"Yes?" pressed Aragorn, eager to offer any help he could. Jack sighed.

"Can we find an elf who can sing to him?"


	19. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, and I don't own Stargate SG-1, or any of the characters, settings, scenarios or stories associated therewith. This is done for love with no profit being made whatsoever.

A/N: Thanks very much again Rabidsamfan for the beta!

_**For Those That See, Chapter 18**_

Aragorn hurried along the forest path, the trees seeming to sense his urgency and make way for him rather than holding him back by snagging on clothes and hair. Although for the sake of privacy they had chosen to make their camp a way away from any of the main dwellings Lothlórien, he deeply regretted that now. Daniel needed help, and help of a kind that could not give. For the moment he had been stilled by the strange liquid that Samantha has administered to him, but they did not know how long it would last. Aragorn had never seen illness of this kind, and Aragornrelied on the elves to provide what they could, if indeed they could treat it.

"Aragorn!" a voice called from within the trees, and he slowed to a halt as a lithe figure dropped from the trees a little way away. It was Legolas. "What troubles you?" he asked. Aragorn explained swiftly about Daniel's condition. Legolas nodded to show he had understood. "I will go at once, and see if I may do anything to soothe him," he said. "You are not far now from the healers' dwelling, do you know the way?"

"Well enough," said Aragorn gratefully. "Go at once - I will fetch a healer and follow you."

~~~~~

When Legolas returned to the camp, he found Daniel surrounded by both Companies. He lay on the ground, trembling slightly and moaning occasionally. Jack and Samantha knelt by his head, and Teal'c stood protectively over him. The rest of the Fellowship stood around them, helpless and yet entranced. The air was heavy with tension. Legolas moved swiftly to Daniel's side, causing the humans to jump in surprise.

"Aragorn has gone for a healer," Legolas told them. "I am not practised in the art of healing, but I will do what I can in the meantime."

"It was singing," said Jack. "He wasn't ill while you were all singing your songs. I don't understand it, but can you help him?"

"I will try," replied Legolas. He reached out and took Daniel's hand, closing his eyes and reaching out with his senses, trying to remember all that he had been taught of healing, so many years ago. He felt Daniel's racing pulse and shallow breath, and a shadow that clouded his spirit and made him quake in fear and dread. "He is frightened," murmured Legolas. "There is a great pain in his spirit, as though it has been torn from him, more than once. I will do what I can." Gently, he began to murmur in song, a lullaby to soothe and calm Daniel. His fea was turbulent and twisted, and suddenly Legolas remembered the joking conversation in which they had learned how many times Daniel had almost died. Was it truly possible for a mortal to die and then to return, as had occasionally been granted to elven souls? He knew of only one such, and the cost of it had been the immortality of another. Daniel's soul had been rent and twisted, wrenched from him and thrown back to him so much that it was a wonder that he lived and breathed at all.

Keeping one hand covering Daniel's, Legolas reached out and rested his other hand on Daniel's forehead. His song changed, spinning itself, weaving in and out of the rhythm of Daniel's fea, meeting it and pulsing with it and gently bringing it into alignment with Legolas' own consciousness. Legolas moved on instinct, murmuring a song that continued to change and yet was ever the same, as natural as breath and as clear as mountain springs, as soft as the morning light in winter and as warm as the wind in late summer evenings. Time passed, the world turned beneath them. He heard movements around him as the Companies sat down, forming a quiet but protective shield around their friend.

A new rhythm entered the song, a beat that was fast and anxious, but stalwart and strong and powerful. Legolas realised that the members of SG-1 had drawn closer: Jack was resting his hand on Daniel's shoulder and Samantha was holding his hand. Their fear beat together like the pounding of a powerful drum, and Legolas began to twine that rhythm into his song, to bring Daniel back to the people he loved. Their spirits spoke of needing him, almost despairing at the idea of losing him. Legolas felt them calming as he sang and drew all their fear together. His own hand trembled: this was no easy task.

It came as a great relief when Aragorn returned to the clearing, bringing two healers with him. Seeing at once what Legolas was doing, they joined with him and worked to soothe Daniel's spirit. Line by line, cord by cord they untangled the damage that had been wrought by fear and pain and heartache over the years, all dragged at once to the surface by the very machine that had saved Daniel's life. Step by step they mended him as best they could, but they knew that they could not truly save Daniel with this act. Some of the damage to his fea was irrevocable; some would return in time and only he could resolve that damage in his own time. Yet still they worked, healing Daniel as well as they could and bringing his body and spirit back into alignment.

Finally the work was done. Legolas sat back, surprised at the warm afternoon sun that was beating down on him. He was tired and his mind and soul ached from the work he had done. Aragorn was thanking the healers and offering them space to rest before making their way home. Had it really been hours? It had seemed mere seconds. Legolas felt a tug on his shoulder.

"Legolas?" It was Pippin, looking confused and worried. "Strider is saying you should come and lie down, take some rest."

"In a moment, Pippin," promised Legolas. He turned back to Daniel and brushed a hand once more over his forehead.

"Daniel?" he prompted. Daniel's eyelids fluttered, and he breathed in deeply.

"Is there coffee?" he asked. Legolas arched his eyebrows in surprise, but Jack merely laughed and ruffled his friend's hair.

"Carter's on it," he said. "You'll get your fix soon enough."

"Thanks," murmured Daniel to the group at large, still somewhat confused over what had happened. Legolas went to rise, but Jack caught his arm before he could move.

"Me too," he said. "Thanks."

"You are very welcome," murmured Legolas, before Pippin led him away to their shelter to sit and take his own rest.

~~~~~

"So Daniel, tell me, how did it feel?"

Sam pressed a second mug of coffee into the archaeologist's hands and looked eagerly into his eyes. "Could you feel what was going on? What actually happened?"

"I... don't know," said Daniel warily. "Did you say they were singing?

"Yep," said Jack. "Like I said, they sang and sang for hours while we all just sat there and waited, and then you were better. What happened where you were?"

"I honestly don't know," said Daniel. "It was like being in the sarcophagus, almost, only without the evil and madness bit. It was like I was floating, and there was darkness and light mingling, and being separated, so that the light could come through... does that make any sense?"

"You're telling us you're a light?"

"No! I... why do I bother, Jack? Look, I'm fine, that's great, and if singing can achieve it, so much the better. Sam, why don't you ask Legolas about it once he's had a chance to rest?"

Sam nodded, looking only slightly disappointed that she wasn't going to get a more scientifically framed answer. "It sounds to me just like all that ascension stuff," she said. "Light and dark, and untangling the two so that only light remains - Daniel, when you ascended you were, well..."

"A glowing ball of light," Jack put in.

"Right. Now, we know that before the Ancients all ascended, there had to be some inbetween stages. What if this is one of them? What if the Elves really are heading for ascension, and this is one of the inbetween stages?"

"It certainly seems possible," agreed Daniel.

"I don't know," said Jack. "We haven't seen anyone throwing anything around with telekewhatsits and reading people's minds and stuff, like we saw with those advanced humans."

"I didn't see that," Daniel reminded him. "Jonas and I aren't just interchangeable, you know."

"Whatever. My point stands, and I think it's a good one."

"Maybe..." Sam frowned. "Gandalf was capable of some pretty impressive stuff, though. In some ways he reminded me of when we first saw Oma Desala."

"Okay, so maybe they are halfway ascended," said Jack. "Good for them! I hope they have a jolly good time with it. That doesn't get us much closer to going home, you know."

"I know, sir, but they did just help Daniel. I'm sure if they can help us, they will."

"Maybe they could ascend us, and then we could be de-ascended in the SGC?" suggested Jack.

"I don't think you'd want to do that, even if it could work," said Daniel.

"Why not? It's a quick, one-way ticket home, after all."

"Well, there is the whole no clothes thing..."

~~~~~

Aragorn stepped past the hobbits, who had borrowed Jack's ball and were playing toss-and-catch again, and slipped into the shelter where Legolas sat, looking weary as he had ever done. He glanced up at Aragorn with a smile when he heard him approach.

"How is Daniel?" he asked. Aragorn sat down beside him.

"He is very well," he said. "Thank you - that must have been hard on you."

"I admit my healing skills are somewhat rusty," said Legolas with a smile. Aragon nodded.

"Legolas, I must ask you something," he began.

"About Daniel?"

"Yes. Frodo and Merry were concerned that his experiences... that is, they say he has not been well in the past, that he has acted out of character to the point of being considered evil. Did you see anything of evil in him? I must know, if he is a risk to the quest."

"You ask much of me," said Legolas warningly. "A man's soul is his own, Aragorn, not something to be shared with others."

"I know," said Aragorn. "Normally I would not dream of asking. But we cannot put Frodo at risk. You are not bound by oath to stay with us, but if you have aught to tell me that endangers the quest, by your honour you must do so."

Legolas smiled. "You speak well, my friend," he said at length. "I do not think you have anything to fear from Daniel Jackson. His soul has been rent by many griefs, but his heart is pure."

"His soul has been rent?"

"Aragorn," said Legolas warningly, "I can tell you no more. There is no evil in him, only the trials of time. His heart is a diamond forged by the fires, not a burnt and broken cinder. He is true."

"I am glad to hear it," said Aragorn. "I have grown fond of our travelling companions, and I would be sorry to have to challenge him over anything. I wonder what his trials have been, to have damaged his soul so?"

Legolas did not answer, but he thought again of the tales that SG-1 had told their travelling companions. They were stories not of comfort or joy, but of great trials, of loss and grief and sorrow, and Daniel seemed to have had the lion's share. He thought of the great lord Glorfindel, a soul returned to his earthly form once more, and of Daniel and his return to a human shape after a time with the gods. Where Glorfindel shone with light, this trial seemed to have damaged Daniel's mortal fea, and his light was dimmed at times with grief and care. Legolas wondered if this truly was the same thing, and how great a price Daniel had paid to return to the world. Glorfindel came back because the world needed him; could it be that the world of SG-1 could not do without Daniel Jackson, that he had come back? And yet, why if it needed him was he sent back in pieces that needed to be put back together? Legolas longed to discuss this with Aragorn, to reason out the questions pressing on his mind, but he respected the confidentiality of Daniel's soul and so pondered the questions only in the quiet of his own heart.


End file.
